THE 


TUNNEL  HEARING 

IN  1  8  5  4. 

A 

# 

Stiff  Import  of  tijt  softener 

OF  THE 

PETITIONERS  FOR  A  LOAN  TO  TIIE  TROY  AND  GREENFIELD 

RAILROAD  COMPANY 


TWO  MILLIONS, 

BEFORE 

A  JOINT  SPECIAL  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  LEGISLATURE 
OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED  BY  THURSTON,  TORRY,  AND  EMERSON. 

MDCCCLIV. 


* 


a  *.5.4 

Tl  5 -mf 

a  -y-t'j 


JOINT  SPECIAL  COMMITTEE. 


SENATE. 


Messrs.  Mitchell  of  Nantucket. 
Mansur  “  Worcester. 
Kimball  “  Suffolk. 
Borden  11  Bristol. 
Alvord  “  Franklin. 
Smith  u  Hampshire. 
Holland  “  Hampden. 
Faulkner  11  Middlesex. 
Ellis  “  Plymouth. 


HOUSE. 


Messrs.  Richmond 
Parker 
Clark 
Wiggin 
*  Kingsley 
Hubbard 
Coburn 
Gilbert 
Mathew 

H  AMMOND 

Kenrick 

Baker 

French 

Walden 


of  Adams. 

“  Greenfield. 

“  Northborough. 
“  Suffolk. 

“  Northampton. 
“  Ludlow. 

“  Dracut. 

“  New  Bedford. 
“  Chilmark. 

11  Nantucket. 

“  Orleans. 

“  Marshfield. 

“  Canton. 

“  Lynn. 


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PROCEEDINGS  BEFORE  COMMITTEE. 


The  Committee  met  in  the  Senate  Chamber,  Tuesday,  January  31,  1854.  The 
petitioners  were  represented  by  E.  H.  Derby  and  J.  M.  Keith,  Esquires. 

The  Petition  having  been  read  at  a  preliminary  meeting,  the  case  was  opened 
by  Mr.  Derby,  in  an  argument  which  occupied  the  afternoon,  and  of  which  the  fol¬ 
lowing  is  a  brief  summary  : 

He  stated  that  he  appeared  for  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  Company,  on  their  third 
application  for  aid.  Although  directly  and  indirectly  opposed,  they  had  received 
two  nearly  unanimous  verdicts — had  once  carried  the  Senate,  and  last  year  the 
House,  and  had  entire  confidence  they  should  obtain  the  sanction  of  this  com¬ 
mittee. 

The  exigency  had  been  shown  by  the  grant  of  a  charter  for  the  Railroad  and 

Tunnel. 

The  railroad  from  Greenfield  to  the  State  line  was  nearly  forty  miles  north  of 
the  Western  at  Springfield,  and  on  the  air  line  from  Boston  to  Troy.  The  latter 
city  was  five  miles  nearer  Boston  than  to  New  York,  as  could  be  demonstrated  by 
a  tape  on  the  map  of  New  England. 

The  Hoosac  was  the  sole  obstacle  between  Troy  and  Boston. 

A  railroad  through  the  Hoosac  would  cut  down  the  summit  620  feet,  and  going 
east  would  reduce  grades  from  seventy-eight  to  thirty-nine  feet,  avoid  seven  circles 
of  curvature,  cross  the  Connecticut  135  feet  above  the  level  of  Springfield,  avoid  a 
costly  ferry,  and  reduce  the  distance  from  the  lower  bridge  on  the  Hudson  to  Bos¬ 
ton  and  other  centres  of  distribution,  from  twenty-two  to  sixty-five  miles. 

These  advantages  would  reduce  the  time  of  passage  between  Troy  and  Boston 
to  five  hours,  and  by  doubling  the  power  of  the  engine,  avoiding  friction,  saving 
distance,  maintaining  elevation,  and  reducing  cost  of  fuel,  would  diminish  the  cost 
of  transportation  forty  to  sixty  per  cent. 

That  Greenfield,  now  146  miles  by  railroad  from  Troy,  would  save  sixty-three 
miles  of  distance,  and  the  tunnel  route  would  supply  with  breadstuff's  for  use  and 
exportation,  the  whole  northern  half  of  Massachusetts  and  southern  sections  of 
Vermont  and  New  Hampshire,  a  district  equal  in  extent  and  population  to  the  entire 
State. 

That  it  would  enable  Massachusetts  to  participate  largely  in  Western  Commerce, 
now  barely  touched  by  the  Western  Railroad,  which  pursues  a  devious  course  over 
the  tops  of  the  mountains. 

That  last  year  the  Welland  Canal  conveyed  one  million  of  tons.  The  tonnage 
passing  between  the  Hudson  and  the  interior  was  four  millions  annually,  and 
increasing  at  the  rate  of  sixteen  per  cent,  a  year. 


T 


4 


That  New  York  now  exports  five  millions  of  dollars  monthly  in  provisions;  — 
last  year  shipped  in  wheat  and  flour  a  quantity  equal  to  three  and  a  half  millions  of 
barrels,  and  is  erecting  from  three  to  six  thousand  buildings  yearly. 

That  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Richmond,  Charleston,  Mobile  and  Portland,  were 
making  new  avenues  to  the  West,  and  diverting  commerce  from  Boston. 

That  new  railways  extending  to  the  Council  Bluffs,  the  canal  at  Lake  Superior, 
the  railways  across  Canada,  and  the  enlargement  of  the  Erie  Canal,  soon  to  bear 
barges  of  250  tons,  were  all  swelling  the  tide  of  commerce,  in  which  the  tunnel 
would  enable  us  to  participate. 

The  Troy  and  Greenfield  line  would  also  pass  through  an  important  local  dis- 
trict,  rich  in  men,  minerals,  timber  and  products,  and  remote  from  the  line  of  the 
Western  Railroad.  A  district  which  had  never  shared  in  the  benefits  conferred  by 
loans  of  the  State  credit,  and  could  support  a  railroad. 

The  tunnel  proposed  was  24,000  feet  in  length,  with  three  shafts  of  300  to  800 
feet  in  depth.  The  contents  of  the  tunnel  were  361,000  yards  of  mica  slate,  with 
a  little  limestone,  which  would  be  quarried  on  the  outside  for  $1  per  yard,  and 
within  for  83  to  844  per  yard.  Although  we  could  not  see  into  the  interior  of  the 
mountain,  skilful  geologists  could  determine  its  contents  from  the  exterior  surface. 

The  mountain  was  24,000  feet  across  and  1000  feet  in  average  height  above  the 
tunnel.  The  vertical  ledges  of  mica  slate  appeared  in  regular  courses  at  the  east¬ 
ern  end,  and  along  the  whole  route  across.  They  might  be  compared  to  the  books 
in  a  public  library,  on  a  shelf  twenty-four  feet  in  length,  with  their  titles  indorsed. 
The  geologist  could  read  the  titles  inscribed  on  each  collection  of  mica,  and  thus 
determine  the  character  of  the  volume. 

Although  the  tunnel  was  long,  it  was  shorter  than  several  European  tunnels,  and 
its  contents  less  than  those  of  many  similar  works  in  France  and  England. 

It  would  require  no  masonry,  and  be  subject  to  little  embarrassment  by  water. 

It  could  be  mined  either  by  the  hand-drill  as  in  Europe,  or  by  machines  fitted 
with  the  revolving  cutter,  which  would  be  exhibited  to  the  committee. 

Fie  would  satisfy  the  committee  by  the  evidence  that  the  tunnel  would  ventilate 
itself,  could  be  finished  in  less  than  five  years,  and  for  less  than  two  millions  of 
dollars,  leaving  a  considerable  margin  to  cover  interest  and  equipment. 

That  he  should  ask  for  gradual  advances  upon  the  railroad  and  tunnel  as  sec¬ 
tions  were  finished,  and  no  advance  on  the  sole  security  of  the  tunnel  until  it  was 
nearly  or  quite  one  half  completed. 

Although  New  York,  Virginia,  and  other  States  removed  such  obstacles  with  the 
public  purse,  and  relieved  private  individuals  and  companies  from  the  risk,  we 
should  tender  an  adequate  security,  for  we  had  confidence  in  the  result,  but  required 
a  large  capital  at  low  rates  of  interest.  In  former  years  our  State  had  aided  new 
and  important  enterprises.  She  had  shown  she  could  pause  ten  years  and  watch 
the  result,  and  now  that  results  were  so  encouraging  as  to  attract  the  notice  of  the 
Governor  and  the  Mayor  of  Boston  in  their  annual  messages,  and  a  new  exigency 
had  arisen,  she  could  resume  her  onward  march. 

That  the  measure  found  favor  with  the  people,  had  influenced  their  choice  of 
officers,  had  been  virtually  indorsed  by  the  convention,  and  if  we  wished  to  be 
progressive,  would  be  no  longer  delayed. 

That  our  resources  were  ample,  the  State  wealth  doubled  in  ten  years  from  1840 
to  1850,  and  increases  sixty  millions  yearly.  Even  the  poor  amassed  capital  in 
our  Savings  Banks  of  Massachusetts,  and  had  in  the  past  year  increased  their 
deposits  more  than  six  millions'. 

That  the  Western  Railroad  Company  had  opposed  the  measure,  but  were  over¬ 
whelmed  with  business,  and  had  withdrawn  from  the  field.  Their  income  had 
increased  last  year  more  than  $150,000.  Seven-eighths  of  their  net  revenue 
sprung  from  local  trade,  and  they  could  spare  a  part  of  their  through  business. 
This  business  was  insignificant  when  compared  with  the  mere  annual  increase  of 
western  commerce. 


5 


Their  sinking  fund  was  a  million  and  a  quarter,  and  would  soon  extinguish  their 
loan,  and  there  was  ample  room  for  both  enterprises. 

That  he  had  entire  confidence  that  this  committee,  assembled  from  every  county 
of  the  State,  would  discard  all  sectional  feeling,  and  go  for  a  measure  which  would 
promote  the  progress,  welfare,  and  glory  of  the  whole  Commonwealth. 

TESTIMONY  OF  ALVAH  CROCKER,  ESQ. 

I  reside  in  Fitchburg.  I  have  been  connected  for  some  time  past  with  railroads. 
I  have  been  connected  both  with  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  and  the  Troy  and  Boston 
lines  of  road.  I  was  quite  active  in  getting  up  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  road.  My 
interest  in  these  roads  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain  dates  back  to  the  com¬ 
mencement  of  the  Fitchburg  road,  as  early  as  1843  or  1844.  I  was  anxious  to 
secure  through  lines  in  connection  with  the  Fitchburg  road.  One  plan  l  had  in 
view  was  through  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont,  and  the  other  was  the  Troy  and 
Boston  route  to  the  Hudson  River. 

At  that  time  I  went  to  Troy  to  ascertain  whether  that  route  would  meet  with 
encouragement  upon  the  other  side  of  the  mountain.  The  mayor  of  the  city 
called  the  principal  citizens  of  the  place  together,  and  I  presented  the  plan  for  their 
consideration.  They  received  it  with  favor,  but  remarked  that  the  Fitchburg  road 
itself  was  a  plan  merely  as  yet,  and  they  thought  it  no  more  than  just  that  1  should 
wait,  not  only  till  that  road  was  completed,  but  also  a  route  in  connection  with  it  to 
the  Connecticut  River,  or  possibly  further  up  towards  the  mountains.  I  pressed 
the  matter  in  order  to  learn  what  they  would  do  in  case  we  should  build  the  Tun¬ 
nel,  and  the  reply  was  prompt.  “  If  you  will  do  that,  we  will  meet  you  at  the  foot 
of  Hoosac  Mountain.” 

After  the  building  of  the  Fitchburg  road,  as  of  course  is  well  known,  the  Ver¬ 
mont  and  Massachusetts  came  in  its  turn  ;  then,  in  184"’,  l  think,  we  applied  for  a 
charter  for  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  road.  After  that  had  been  granted  by  the 
Legislature  with  a  seven  years’  period  to  run,  I  again  visited  Troy.  I  had  taken 
good  care  on  my  first  visit  to  note  the  prominent  citizens  present  at  the  meeting, 
and  on  this  visit  I  found  that  a  great  many  —  General  Wool,  and  a  number  of  the 
other  leading  men  who  were  then  present  —  were  in  attendance  at  this  second  meet¬ 
ing.  I  called  upon  them  for  the  redemption  of  that  pledge.  The  result  was,  that 
they  immediately  resolved  to  commence  what  is  now  called  the  Troy  and  Boston 
road.  I  assisted  to  some  extent  in  the  organization  of  that  road.  Some  twenty 
miles  or  more  of  the  Troy  and  Boston  road  is  now  constructed  as  far  towards  us 
as  Eagle  Bridge.  I  should  also  include  a  branch  in  the  direction  of  the  Hoosac, 
making  in  all  about  twenty-five  miles  now  completed.  I  regard  this  road  as  one 
of  the  best  and  most  thoroughly  constructed  roads  l  have  ever  been  upon.  The 
whole  expense  of  its  construction  was  a  fraction  over  $1,000,000.  It  was  more 
difficult  of  construction  than  the  Greenfield  route,  but  the  difficulties  have  all  been 
surmounted.  The  line  from  Hoosac  village  to  Massachusetts  line  —  is  some  fifteen 
miles;  the  whole  distance  completed  upon  reflection  is  twenty-seven  miles.  It 
follows  the  valley  of  the  Hoosac,  which  is  a  wide  valley,  and  very  level,  a  little 
falling  the  whole  distance,  and  easy  for  the  construction  of  a  railroad  to  the  Ver¬ 
mont  line.  The  rest  of  this  line,  to  wit,  the  Southern  Vermont  road,  as- it  is  called, 
is  likewise  through  the  same  valley  and  easy  of  construction.  I  think  there  would 
be  no  trouble  in  completing  these  lines,  as  there  seems  to  be  a  disposition  to  take 
hold  of  them  in  case  the  State  aid  is  granted  for  the  tunnel. 

From  a  visit  to  the  region  this  fall,  I  should  think  a  great  deal  of  progress  was 
making  on  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  road,  west  of  the  mountain  from  North  Adams 
to  the  State  line.  1  should  think  some  six  miles  were  graded  from  North  Adams 
through  Williamstown,  between  the  village  of  North  Adams  and  the  Vermont  line. 
It  will  require  little  bevond  laying  the  track  and  building  the  depots  to  complete 
'  1* 


6 


this  part  of  the  line.  The  superstructure  of  the  road  must  be  put  on,  and  it  will 
cost  something  like  $100,000  more  to  complete  the  road. 

There  have  been  some  negotiations  between  the  Troy  and  Boston  and  the  Troy 
and  Greenfield  roads,  in  relation  to  the  use  of  this  part  of  the  road  by  the  former 
before  the  tunnel  is  done.  1  met  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Troy  and  Boston 
road,  at  the  instance  of  the  Board  of  the  Troy  and  Greenfield,  for  the  purpose  of 
negotiating  an  arrangement  with  their  company  to  work  that  road  when  it  should 
be  completed  ;  that  is,  when  the  track  should  be  laid  down  and  the  depots  con¬ 
structed  at  Williamstown  and  North  Adams.  They  made  me  a  proposition  in 
writing.  It  was  to  work  the  road  after  it  should  have  been  delivered  to  them  in 
that  condition,  until  the  tunnel  was  completed,  and  they  were  to  pay  to  the  Troy 
and  Greenfield  Company  twenty  per  cent,  of  all  the  receipts  going  from  North 
Adams  and  Williamstown,  or  any  point  east  of  Troy  in  Massachusetts,  to  Troy  and 
back ;  and  the  same  proportion  of  the  rates  for  passengers  and  merchandise 
coming  from  Troy,  or  passing  between  Troy  and  these  points  and  Williamstown 
and  North  Adams.  The  Troy  and  Greenfield  Company  were  to  be  at  no  expense 
whatever,  the  Troy  and  Boston  Company  engaging  to  keep  the  road  in  good  repair, 
and  return  it  in  as  good  order  as  when  they  received  it,  excepting  the  necessary 
wear  of  the  road.  The  arrangement  was  substantially  sanctioned  by  vote  of  the 
Troy  and  Greenfield  Board. 

I  am  some  acquainted  with  the  local  business  of  this  route,  but  any  computation 
I  should  make  would  be  necessarily  very  approximate.  1  will  give  my  general 
impression  of  what  will  be  the  receipts,  but  there  are  others  more  able  to  judge  on 
this  point  than  1  am.  According  to  my  best  judgment,  (and  I  confess  I  am  very 
much  assisted  in  making  an  estimate  by  the  results  on  the  Pittsfield  and  North 
Adams  Railroad,)  I  feel  safe  in  hazarding  the  opinion  that  $50,000  would  accrue 
to  the  road  from  this  arrangement  the  first  year,  and  of  course  this  would  greatly 
increase  afterwards,  as  the  country  is  susceptible  of  great  development  and  growth. 
I  think  from  the  opinions  I  have  heard  expressed,  that  my  estimate  is  not  too  high. 
Friends  in  Troy  with  whom  I  have  been  associated  some  years  thought  it  too  low, 
but  1  wanted  to  make  a  safe  estimate,  and  I  think  I  have  done  so.  It  is  not  based 
on  the  present  rates  of  transportation,  of  men  and  merchandise  to  these  towns,  but 
on  a  fair  price,  much  lower  than  is  now  paid.  One-fifth  of  this  will  accrue  to  the 
Troy  and  Greenfield  Railroad  Company. 

In  regard  to  business  and  facilities  for  supporting  a  large  population,  taking  the 
country  from  Greenfield  to  the  State  line,  l  think  it  will  compare  favorably  with  the 
Fitchburg  and  Vermont  and  Massachusetts  line.  Taking  it  at  this  end  from 
Waltham,  the  distance  will  be  a  little  further,  but  the  western  portion  has  the 
advantage  in  capacities  for  sustaining  an  immense  population.  They  have  abun¬ 
dant  water-power  of  the  best  kind,  and  a  very  productive  soil,  more  particularly 
on  the  west  side  of  the  mountain.  They  have  much  timber  still  remaining,  mostly 
on  the  east  side,  which  to  be  sure  will  last  but  a  few  years,  but  when  it  is  cut  off 
other  things  will  take  its  place.  On  the  whole  I  feel  constrained  to  say,  that  the 
western  portion  of  the  line  has  the  advantage  over  the  eastern. 

In  North  Adams  there  is  a  great  deal  of  manufacturing  done,  in  a  small  and 
individual  way.  The  factories  are  not  large,  but  there  are  some  twenty  or  thirty 
of  them.  There  are  more  than  twenty.  Considerable  cotton  is  manufactured 
there.  There  is  a  very  large  hardware  establishment  at  Shelburne  Falls,  —  one  of 
the  best  in  the  country.  The  business  of  this  place  is  large,  and  constantly 
increasing.  It  is  a  growing  village,  and  possesses  a  large  amount  of  the  best 
water-power  in  the  country.  Except  Greenfield,  there  is  not  a  town  between  there 
and  Waltham  surpassing  Shelburne  Falls.  North  Adams  resembles  Fitchburg 
very  much  in  some  respects.  This  is  a  large  town  containing  7000  people,  I 
should  think.  There  are  large  foundries  in  this  town.  It  reminds  me  very  much 


7 


of  Fitchburg,  resembling  it  in  locality  and  other  respects.  There  are  other 
flourishing  villages  to  sustain  the  route  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain. 

My  railroad  experience  has  not  advanced  my  own  interests  perhaps  so  much  as 
the  interests  of  others.  I  began  in  1836,  serving  under  Loammi  Baldwin.  I 
had  a  long  interview  with  him  about  this  Tunnel  line,  before  1  struck  a  blow  for 
the  Fitchburg.  His  views  were  that  I  should  go  to  my  grave  before  the  line 
would  be  completed,  but  he  did  not  hesitate  to  say  that  it  was  the  route.  He  did 
not  advise  me  to  engage  in  the  undertaking,  but  he  thought  the  line  should  be  con¬ 
structed,  and  was  bound  to  be  constructed,  and  would  be  sooner  or  later  the  route. 
He  remarked  that  a  considerable  portion  of  the  way  the  population  was  sparse, 
and  the  local  business  would  be  light.  This  was,  1  think,  in  1842.  1  was  then 

casting  about  —  looking  around  me  to  see  what  I  should  do.  Mr.  Baldwin  was  a 
strong  convert  to  a  tunnel  there  for  a  canal,  and,  although  the  odium  of  broaching 
such  a  scheme  did  not  rest  on  his  head,  he  probably  did  his  share  towards  origi¬ 
nating  it.  He  did  not  act  directly  in  the  matter,  —  it  was  more  attributable  to 
a  man  whom  we  all  revere,  an  inhabitant  of  an  adjoining  city,  —  Gen.  Dearborn. 

[Mr.  Derby  here  said  he  had  no  further  questions,  but  wished  to  have  the 
witness  state  any  facts  bearing  on  the  subject  that  might  occur  to  him.] 

Mr.  Crocker.  —  I  should  like  to  state  one  single  fact.  So  far  as  my  observation 
has  extended,  it  is  a  fact  that  there  seems  to  be  more  interest  felt  for  the  con¬ 
struction  of  this  tunnel  west  of  this  State,  than  ever  has  been  evinced  in  the  State ; 

—  even  in  this  metropolis,  where  all  are  interested.  My  correspondence  has  ever 
evinced  this  fact.  It  has  been  constantly  noticeable  from  week  to  week,  from 
month  to  month,  and  from  year  to  year.  1  recollect  when  I  was  endeavoring  to 
induce  the  Trojans  to  subscribe  to  the  Troy  and  Boston  stock,  people  came  in 
crowds  from  other  places,  and  my  remarks  were  reported  in  their  newspapers 
much  better  than  I  gave  them.  They  were  dressed  up  so  much  better  than  they 
were  delivered,  that  I  read  them  with  more  satisfaction  than  1  ever  did  my  speeches 
in  my  life  before.  I  mention  this  merely  to  show  the  general  interest  of  the 
public  in  this  undertaking.  Then  my  correspondence,  from  all  the  way  to  the 
lakes,  —  from  Rochester,  Oswego,  Buffalo,  and  all  those  places  which  we  look 
upon  here  as  the  great  marts  to  supply  our  manufacturing  population,  —  has  shown 
the  same  degree  of  interest  in  this  subject.  The  inquiries  have  been  constant  — 
44  When  is  the  tunnel  going  to  be  built  ?”  They  say,  —  44  Just  complete  that  tunnel, 

—  just  build  your  road  from  Boston  to- Troy,  and  we  will  straighten  our  line  so  as 
to  give  vou  a  4  bee’'  line  from  Boston  to  Buffalo.  We  can  do  it  without  extraordinary 
effort.”  One  influential  gentleman  said  to  me,  when  the  subject  of  the  tunnel 
was  broached,  — 44  When  that  is  built,  we  will  give  you  nine  hours  from  Troy  to 
Buffalo,  and  why  don't  you  —  why  don’t  you  take  hold  of  that  end?”  I  have  in 
my  hat  a  letter  which  I  have  just  received  from  a  gentleman  in  Rochester.  1  do 
not  know  the  gentleman  very  well,  but  understand  he  is  one  of  the  largest  flour 
dealers  in  Rochester.  His  name  is  Lewis  Chapin.  By  permission  I  will  read  the 
letter.  It  goes  to  show  that  the  Western  road  and  the  other  through  lines  have 
been  utterly  unable  to  accomplish  the  rapidly  increasing  business  of  transportation. 

Mr.  Crocker  then  read  the  letter  in  question,  which  is  dated  Rochester,  N.  Y. 
Jan.  31st,  1854.  It  states  that  the  subject  of  tunnelling  the  Hoosac  is  one  that 
interests  the  produce  dealers  there  and  west  very  much,  and  in  its  progress  will  be 
watched  with  interest.  He  had  consigned  flour  to  Springfield,  Lowell,  Worcester, 
&<c.,  every  year  since  the  completion  of  the  Western  road,  and  every  year  the 
hindrance  at  Greenbush  had  continued  to  increase  with  the  increasing  business,  so 
that  he  looked  a-head  with  solicitude  for  the  future.  During  the  last  fall  he  had 
been  under  the  necessity  of  consigning  flour  to  an  Albany  house  with  orders  to 
send  to  eastern  markets,  if  they  could  get  it  to  the  depot  at  Greenbush  without  too 
much  difficulty  and  expense,  (that  house  being  experienced,)  and  with  power  to 
send  it  to  New  York  or  elsewhere,  in  a  contrary  event.  The  impossibility  of 


getting  flour  transported  over  the  Western  road  had  compelled  him  to  send  flour  to 
other  markets  which  he  had  designed  should  come  over  that  road.  He  had 
been  charged  various  sums  —  from  $10  to  $25  —  demurrage  on  single  boats,  for 
detention  at  Greenbush,  and  had  to  pay  three  cenls  a  barrel  for  cartage  from 
Albany  to  Greenbush,  besides  which,  the  loss  from  rough  handling  during  the 
trans-shipment  averaged  from  half  a  cent  to  one  cent  per  barrel,  notwithstanding 
that  the  barrels  were  well  made,  and  of  the  best  white  oak  timber.  The  constantly 
growing  business  of  the  west,  he  thought,  would  soon  tax  the  enlarged  Erie  Canal 
to  its  greatest  capacity,  and  he  had  no  doubt  that  both  roads  will  find  abundant 
business  to  do  when  the  tunnel  is  completed. 

PRESIDENT  HITCHCOCK’S  TESTIMONY. 

I  have  examined  Hoosac  Mountain  geologically  during  the  last  twenty-four 
years,  but  never  but  once  with  reference  to  the  route  of  the  tunnel.  I  examined 
the  mountain  in  1830,  and  again  in  1839.  I  examined  these  rocks  of  the  moun¬ 
tain  on  a  great  many  of  ihe  lines,  in  the  limits  of  the  State,  with  a  view  to  mak¬ 
ing  out  a  section  across  Hoosac  Mountain,  which  is  given  in  my  report  to  the 
government.  The  north  part  of  the  structure  of  Hoosac  Mountain  is  extremely 
simple.  Here  it  is  ;  [taking  up  specimens  from  the  table]  it  is  almost  entirely 
like  this,  of  mica  slate.  It  stands  perpendicularly,  in  thin  layers  which  can  be 
split  up  very  fine.  On  the  east  side  especially  it  stands  very  nearly  perpendicu¬ 
larly,  and  a  little  obliquely  across  the  route  of  the  tunnel.  On  the  west  side  of 
the  mountain  this  same  rock  projects  all  along.  It  dips  down,  but  in  some  places 
it  is  less  inclined  than  in  others.  This  is  a  fair  sample  of  all  the  rock  over  the 
main  part  of  the  mountain,  with  the  exception,  perhaps  I  ought  to  say,  that  you 
may  meet  occasionally  with  a  little  of  a  rock  which  the  geologist  would  call 
gneiss  rock,  differing  a  little  from  the  mica  slate,  and  along  towards  the  west 
margin  of  the  mountain  I  came  upon  a  rock  resembling  feldspar.  There  is 
scarce  anything  in  the  mountain  but  this  mica  slate,  occasionally  mixed  up,  how¬ 
ever,  with  a  little  quartz  of  an  imperfect  kind,  which  does  not  differ  materially 
from  the  mica  slate  in  hardness.  The  whole  mountain  is  made  up  in  the  same 
way.  There  is  no  granite,  or  trap  intruded  in  the  form  of  veins  or  dikes.  It 
is  of  extremely  simple  formation,  as  it  is  throughout  the  whole  of  the  Green 
Mountains,  and  down  through  the  Hoosac  range.  There  are  occasionally  nodules 
of  quartz  in  this  rock,  as  you  go  down  to  the  westward  of  the  mountain,  in  the 
town  of  Adams.  1  do  not  know  exactly  where  the  tunnel  is  to  terminate,  but 
there  is  a  bed  of  this  quartz  which  is  very  hard,  and  it  is  possible  the  tunnel  may 
have  to  pass  through  it,  some  little  distance  on  the  western  slope.  I  cannot  say 
positively  whether  or  not  it  does  pass  through  it,  not  having  been  on  the  precise 
route  of  the  tunnel  in  that  locality.  Iron  ore  is  very  frequently  found  in  con¬ 
nection  with  quartz  rock  and  limestone.  You  will  find  bits  of  iron  ore  on  the 
surface,  but  cannot  tell  where  the  beds  will  occur  till  you  dig  down.  As  I  have 
said  I  do  not  know  whether  or  not  these  foreign  rocks  occur  where  the  tunnel 
is  to  pass,  only  that  quartz  and  limestone  exist  in  Adams.  1  have  noticed  this 
rock  (mica  slate)  all  the  way  over  the  mountain,  and  it  has  this  same  appear¬ 
ance.  It  is  the  same  rock  all  the  way  till  you  get  near  the  foot  on  the  west 
side.  I  have  no  doubt  at  all  that  the  whole  mountain  is  cpmposed  throughout 
of  this  mica  slate  as  well  as  on  the  surface,  and  probably  it  is  the  same  rock 
thousands  of  feet  lower  than  the  Connecticut  River.  I  will  give  my  reasons  for 
this  opinion.  It  now  seems  to  be  generally  admitted  in  relation  to  this  slate  forma¬ 
tion,  through  the  whole  of  the  Green  Mountain  range,  that  it  was  not  lifted  up  by 
granite  or  any  of  the  igneous  rocks,  pushing  upwards  from  underneath,  but 
crowded  together  from  the  sides  or  edges,  so  as  to  cause  a  folding  together  of 
the  strata,  the  entire  range  pitching  downwards  towards  the  sea.  Another 


9 


reason  for  this  opinion  is,  that  in  passing  over  the  Rutland  road  in  Vermont,  as 
far  as  Ludlow,  I  think,  you  find  that  the  same  rock  is  cut  through,  and  if  you 
travel  over  the  Vermont  Central  Railroad  you  will  find  that  it  is  cut  through  the 
whole  distance  of  the  mountain,  and  that  too  on  a  level  as  low  down  as  the 
tunnel.  This  proves  that  the  mountain  is  made  throughout  of  this  rock,  down 
to  this  depth,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  the  same  formation  should  not  extend 
into  Massachusetts.  I  am  therefore  of  opinion  that  the  mountain  consists  of 
solid  rock,  unless  there  should  be  a  little  of  those  quartz  or  limestone  rocks  I 
have  mentioned.  I  am  sure  there  is  no  trap  rock  ;  I  have  never  seen  so  much  as 
one  vein  of  it  in  the  whole  of  Hoosac  Mountain. 

I  do  not  believe  there  will  be  any  cavities  found  in  the  mountain.  There  may 
be  slight  ones,  but  if  so  they  will  be  caverns,  and  not  filled  with  earth  like  the 
soil  or  gravel  of  the  surface. 

I  do  not  think  there  will  be  any  masonry  or  arching  required  For  in¬ 
stance,  if  the  boring  machine  should  be  found  to  operate  well,  and  the  tunnel 
should  be  bored  through  the  mountain,  l  do  not  believe  that  it  would  re¬ 
quire  any  more  masonry  for  its  support  than  would  be  necessary  for  a  good 
sound  stick  of  ^timber  with  an  auger-hole  bored  through  it.  A  little  mason¬ 
ry  may  of  course  be  required  at  the  ends,  but  I  have  so  much  confidence  in 
this  opinion,  that  I  should  not  be  afraid  to  engage  to  put  in  all  the  masonry  that 
will  be  necessary  after  you  get  beyond  the  surface,  for  a  very  few  thousand 
dollars.  If  there  is  any  confidence  to  be  placed  in  the  principles  of  geology,, 
then  we  may  rely  upon  the  rock’s  proving  to  be  the  same  throughout  the  moun¬ 
tain,  without  cavities.  It  would  be  a  thing  unheard  of  in  geology  otherwise.  I 

know  of  no  place  where  you  will  find  soil  after  you  get  into  the  solid  rock,  unless 
it  is  where  a  valley  comes  down  from  above.  Undoubtedly  the  rock  will  be 
much  easier  to  work  after  you  get  down  through  the  edges.  The  tunnel  will 
support  itself  just  as  well  a  little  inclined  as  if  the  rock  stood  perpendicularly. 

There  is  no  question  but  that  the  rock  is  easy  for  drilling,  but  I  am  told  that 

powder  in  blasting  does  not  throw  out  so  large  a  mass  as  in  the  case  of  some 
other  rocks,  which  are  harder  to  drill  and  more  easily  cracked  by  powder.  It 
will  be  more  easy  to  pass  through  the  layers  than  if  they  were  horizontal. 

Water  will  undoubtedly  be  found  near  the  surface  and  elsewhere  to  some 
extent,  but  I  have  an  impression,  or  rather  an  opinion,  that  this  tunnel  will  be 
found  to  go  below  where  the  water  percolates,  unless  the  layers  are  found  to  bo 
more  broken  than  I  suppose  they  are.  I  will  mention  a  case  of  this  kind  which 
I  noticed  last  year  at  a  coal-mine  in  Rhode  Island.  This  mine  goes  down  ob¬ 
liquely,  at  an  angle  of  thirty  or  forty  degrees,  to  a  depth  of  some  600  feet.  In 
sinking  the  mine  to  the  depth  of  about  300  feet,  they  were  troubled  with  a  great 
deal  of  water,  but  below  that  there  was  no  water,  the  mine  being  entirely  dry, 
although  it  goes  down  300  or  40 J  feet  below  the  level  of  the  ocean.  1  have  an 
impression  that  this  tunnel  will  be  found  to  be  dry  after  penetrating  a  considera¬ 
ble  distance  from  the  surface. 

Another  fact,  which  I  believe  is  now  generally  admitted,  is,  that  the  further 
down  into  a  rock  you  go  the  softer  it  becomes.  It  is  a  fact,  that  most  rocks 
harden  when  brought  up  to  or  near  the  surface.  1  cannot,  of  course,  say  posi¬ 
tively,  but  I  should  suppose  that  in  working  this  rock  so  far  below  the  surface,  it 
will  be  found  much  softer  than  on  the  face  of  the  mountain. 

There  are  boulders  of  granite  scattered  all  over  the  surface  of  the  mountain. 
According  to  some  theories,  these  boulders  came  from  New  York.  It  was  not  till 
I  had  observed  them  for  a  number  of  years,  that  I  became  anxious  to  find  where 
they  came  from.  I  at  length  discovered  their  origin  in  the  south-western  corner  of 
Vermont,  on  the  northern  part  of  the  Saddle  Mountain  range.  They  had  been 
knocked  off  by  icebergs  from  the  Vermont  mountains,  when  the  country  vvaa 
under  the  ocean,  and  carried  and  scattered  all  along  over  the  valleys  to  the  west 


0 


side  of  the  Hoosac.  They  are  strewed  all  the  way,  some  of  them  15  or  20  feet 
in  diameter,  increasing  in  size  towards  the  Connecticut  River.  Boulders  are  not 
unfrequently  met  with,  which  have  been  carried  in  this  way  four  or  five  hundred 
miles.  This  may  be  observed  in  Essex  county,  New  York,  and  along  the 
valley  of  the  Hudson  River.  The  direction  taken  by  the  current  or  force  which 
carried  these  boulders  was  about  south-east.  I  am  confident  they  did  not  originate 
near  the  mountain,  because  I  traced  them  to  the  place  of  their  origin,  and  I  am 
certain  there  is  no  rock  like  them  in  the  mountain.  My  belief  is  that  the  structure 
of  the  mountain  is  very  simple,  consisting  almost  entirely  of  this  mica  slate. 
There  may  be  some  varieties  mixed  in.  1  believe  I  did  observe  a  little  hornblende 
in  some  parts  —  a  rock  somewhat  harder  than  mica  slate.  It  sometimes,  but  not 
commonly  occurs  in  the  mica  slate.  In  places  where  this  rock  and  quartz  should 
occur  in  considerable  quantities,  it  would  make  the  tunnelling  harder. 

I  have  not  had  a  great  deal  of  opportunity  to  observe  tunnels  except  in  Great 
Britain,  where  the  rock  is  quite  different,  being  mainly  a  chalk  formation,  which, 
of  course,  is  easy  to  work.  In  the  vicinity  of  Liverpool  is  a  tunnel  a  little  over  a 
mile  in  length,  constructed  through  red  sandstone.  I  should  think  there  would  be 
no  great  difficulty  in  constructing  the  English  tunnels.  In  Belgium  1  passed 
through  25  tunnels  in  one  afternoon,  none  of  them,  however,  were  very  long; 
one,  I  believe,  was  about  a  mile  in  length.  They  are  built  through  what  is  called 
silurian  rock,  which  is  harder  than  red  sandstone.  It  would  be  rather  worse  than 
this  mica  slate.  Mica  slate  would  be  easier  to  drill  than  either  red  sandstone  or 
silurian  rock,  but  I  cannot  say  as  to  the  quantity  which  would  be  thrown  out  by 
blasting. 

[Mr.  Derby  here  said  he  had  no  further  questions  to  ask,  but  wished  to  have 
the  witness  state  any  additional  facts  which  might  occur  to  him  as  having  a  bear¬ 
ing  on  the  subject.] 

Mr.  Hitchcock.  —  It  may  be  proper  to  mention  other  geological  features  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  tunnel.  Near  where  the  tunnel  commences,  on  the  eastern 
side,  are  large  deposits  of  serpentine  and  soapstone.  Serpentine  is  not  much  used 
in  this  country  as  yet  as  an  ornamental  stone.  It  is  more  expensive  and  harder 
than  marble,  and  is  a  beautiful  ornamental  stone.  Soapstone  is  very  valuable. 
There  is  a  large  bed  of  it  within  perhaps  a  couple  of  miles  of  the  east  end  of 
the  tunnel.  Some  of  it  is  the  most  beautiful  I  have  ever  seen,  while  other  por¬ 
tions  are  of  the  common  kind,  not  so  good  as  some  I  have  seen,  but  very  good, 
however.  On  the  north,  in  the  town  of  Rowe  (?)  is  another  bed  of  it.  Six  miles 
south  of  the  road  are  iron  mines,  which  have  been  worked  to  some  extent.  In 
Charlemont  is  some  of  the  most  splendid  stone  for  flagging  I  know  of  in  New 
England.  It  stands  very  even,  and  a  slab  of  almost  any  dimensions  may  be  got 
out —  larger  1  should  think  than  can  be  carried  in  a  railroad  car.  1  should  judge 
it  to  be  admirably  adapted  for  sidewalks.  It  stands  perpendicularly,  right  up  in 
the  open  air  on  the  side  of  the  mountain,  in  plain  sight  as  you  pass  along 
the  road.  There  are  also  iron  and  marble  in  Adams;  and  a  little  south,  in 
Cheshire,  you  find  beautiful  quartz  sand  as  white  as  the  finest  loaf  sugar.  In  the 
mountains  are  beds  of  iron,  and  there  is  lime,  of  course,  where  there  is  marble. 
Some  of  this  lime  is  of  the  purest  kind.  I  analyzed  specimens  of  it,  in  which  I 
found  about  ninety-nine  parts  out  of  a  hundred  to  be  pure  limestone  or  carbonate 
of  lime.  There  are  the  largest  forests  I  know  of  in  New  England  in  this  region, 
and  much  good  timber  all  along  towards  the  Connecticut  as  you  go  down  from 
the  tunnel. 

In  reply  to  questions  by  Mr.  Wiggin,  Representative  from  Boston,  he  said,  if 
the  rock  of  the  tunnel  should  be  found  to  differ  from  what  he  had  supposed,  it 
would  be  an  exception  to  the  general  rules  of  the  science.  Of  course,  he  had  not 
been  into  the  interior  of  the  mountain  to  examine  the  rock,  but  there  were  no 
reasons  why  geologists  might  not  be  able  to  judge  ;  and  he  was  certain  that  no 


11 


veins  of  granite,  trap,  porphyry,  &c.,  exist  in  the  mountain.  He  would  not  dare 
to  assert  an  opinion  so  directly  and  positively,  without  good  and  sufficient  reasons 
which  he  had  seen  nothing  to  change.  There  was  no  reason  why  this  slate 
should  not  extend  down  even  lower  than  the  level  of  the  Connecticut  —  especially 
as  it  is  shown  in  the  Green  Mountains  —  where  a  gorge  cuts  across,  and  shows 
the  same  rock  the  entire  width  of  the  range.*  Some  portions  of  this  rock  is  called 
talcose  slate,  but  there  is  no  great  difference  in  the  formation  ;  it  is  merely  talc 
instead  of  mica.  He  had  calculated  the  height  of  the  mountain  with  the  barometer, 
but  could  not  recollect  the  exact  result.  He  believed,  however,  it  was  about 
1500  feet  above  the  level  of  Hoosac  River. 

[Andrew  Ellison,  Jr.,  Esq.,  Engineer  to  the  Board  of  Public  Works  of  Virginia, 
was  next  introduced  and  sworn.] 

MR.  ELLTSON'S  TESTIMONY. 

He  had  had  charge  of  various  public  works,  as  principal  or  assistant  engineer, 
and  had  built  the  South  Shore  Railroad,  in  this  State.  He  spoke  of  a  line  of  rail¬ 
road  from  Covington,  Va.,  to  the  Ohio,  crossing  the  Alleghany  mountains  in 
Virginia,  and  making  a  continuous  line  from  Richmond,  of  which  the  Blue  Ridge 
Tunnel  is  to  form  a  part.  He  is  assistant  engineer  with  Mr.  Fiske  on  the  Covington 
and  Ohio  line.  This  route  is,  in  all,  about  240  miles  in  length.  There  has  been 
some  dispute  in  regard  to  the  route.  There  are  to  be  three  long  tunnels  on  the 
line  in  crossing  the  mountains  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  the  longest  of  which  is 
6500,  the  next  4500,  and  the  third  1800  feet  in  length  ;  and  several  smaller  ones 
ranging  from  300  to  900  feet.  The  whole  distance  to  be  tunnelled  is  about  three 
miles  and  a  half.  This  is  the  only  work  constructed  entirely  by  the  State.  The 
Blue  Ridge  Railroad  is  17  miles  in  length,  passing  through  the  centre  of  the 
country,  and  is  of  very  great  importance  to  the  Central  Railroad,  in  which  the 
State  owns  stock  to  the  amount  of  three-fifths.  The  reasons  why  the  State  under¬ 
took  these  enterprises  were,  the  importance  of  getting  a  continuous  line  from  the 
Ohio  to  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  the  difficulty  of  accomplishing  it  by  private  enter¬ 
prise.  The  highest  price  paid  for  tunnelling  between  Covington  and  the  Ohio  is 
$3,374  per  yard.  This  contract  is  taken  by  one  of  the  most  experienced  con¬ 
tractors  in  the  country.  There  will  be  two,  certainly,  and  perhaps  three  shafts. 
The  lowest  price  now  paid  for  tunnelling  is  $3£  per  yard.  A  contract  was  made 
for  $3,  but  the  price  was  raised  to  $31.  Short  tunnels  are  not  considered  serious 
matters  in  constructing  a  railroad.  The  contractors  offered  to  complete  the 
largest  tunnel  in  three  years  Several  short  tunnels  have  just  been  completed  on 
the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Railroad.  The  largest  of  these  is  900  feet,  and  the 
price  paid  for  excavating  was  $24  per  yard.  The  material  was  slate  and  sand¬ 
stone.  The  material  in  the  Covington  and  Ohio  tunnels  is  slate,  clay  slate,  and 
sandstone,  and,  in  the  third  mountain,  limestone,  which  was  spoken  of  by  con¬ 
tractors  as  the  hardest  rock  they  had  seen.  He  would  like  to  compromise  for  the 
Hoosac  mica  slate  throughout,  a  large  specimen  of  which  was  on  the  table  before 
him.  The  clay  slate  was  too  soft,  and  two-thirds  of  it  would  require  arching. 
The  Hoosac  rock  would  work  easier  than  their  sandstone,  and  would  require  no 
arching. 

He  had  not  visited  Hoosac  Mountain,  and  was  not  familiar  with  the  localities  of 
the  Troy  and  Greenfield  road  ;  but  the  exigencies  of  the  tunnel  might  be  similar 
to  that  of  the  Blue  Ridge  road.  The  latter  was  an  intermediate  link  of  seventeen 
miles  between  two  State  roads,  and  was  built  entirely  on  State  account.,  for  the 
express  purpose  of  connecting  the  two  roads,  without  which  it  would  be  of  no 
value.  The  progress  made  in  tunnelling  in  the  Blue  Ridge  was  60  feet  a  month, 
and  would  be  much  greater  but  for  its  extreme  hardness.  The  rock  is  the  hardest 
in  the  State,  and  no  shafts  have  been  made. 


MR.  JOHN  A.  CARPENTER’S  TESTIMONY. 

I  have  been  a  Railroad  contractor  many  years,  one  of  the  firm  of  Belknap, 
Gilmore  &  Company.  I  have  worked  at  the  Hoosac  Tunnel.  The  rock  drills 
very  easily,  and  you  can  blast  very  large  masses  at  a  time.  We  look  upon  it  as 
a  very  favorable  rock  for  blasting.  The  amount  of  rock  thrown  off  at  a  blast 
depends  upon  the  width  of  the  cutting,  and  the  size  and  depth  of  the  holes.  I 
believe  we  have  thrown  off,  at  the  deep  cut  leading  to  the  tunnel,  over  oOO  yards 
at  a  blast.  We  first  put  down  holes  and  blast  them  to  raise  a  seam,  and  then 
blast  the  seam  altogether. 

1  got  these  specimens  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  I  believe  they  are  fair 
specimens  ;  I  meant  to  ‘procure  such.  A  drill  will  not  be  so  dull  after  going 
through  three  feet  of  Hoosac  rock  as  after  passing  through  one  foot  of  granite. 
So  far  as  we  have  worked,  we  find  the  rock  more  favorable  as  we  go  down. 
I  have  worked  on  the  Portland,  Old  Colony,  Fitchburg,  Vermont  and  Massachu¬ 
setts,  Norfolk  County,  Nashua  and  Worcester,  and  other  railroads,  and  have 
found  no  rock  which  will  bore  more  easily  than  this. 

MR.  EDWIN  FAXON’S  TESTIMONY. 

Resides  in  Boston.  Is  a  leather  dealer.  Has  travelled  a  great  deal  in  Europe  — 
in  Great  Britain,  France,  Belgium,  Austria,  and  other  countries.  In  these  travels 
he  had  made  use  of  Murray’s  Guide  Books  of  the  several  countries  he  passed 
through,  to  assist  in  his  observations.  The  works  referred  to  were  published  by 
an  established  authority,  who  continues  them  from  time  to  time  in  revised  editions. 
They  corresponded  with  other  authorities  and  with  his  own  observations.  They 
contained  descriptions  of  a  great  number  of  works  of  art,  many  of  which  he  had 
himself  visited.  Some  of  these  he  proceeded  to  give  some  account  of.  He  had 
travelled  over  some  Alpine  passes,  and  the  tunnels,  galleries,  &c.  were  stupendous 
works  of  art.  The  highest  of  these  passes  is  one  constructed  by  the  Austrian 
government;  its  summit  is  more  than  9000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It 
connects  Lombardy  and  Austria.  The  name  of  this  pass  is  the  Stelvio.  It  ap¬ 
pears  to  be  one  of  the  greatest  works  of  engineering  in  Europe,  and  is  generally 
considered  a  great  undertaking.  It  contains  a  great  many  tunnels,  some  of  them 
very  difficult  of  construction,  on  account  of  the  material.  Many  of  them  are  of 
great  length.  There  are  also  many  covered  ways,  built  of  wood  and  masonry,  to 
carry  over  the  road  the  avalanches,  which  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  slide 
down  from  the  mountains,  so  that  travellers  may  at  all  seasons  pass  over  the  road 
with  safety.  The  ascent  is  very  steep  on  one  side,  so  steep  that,  ascending  it  on 
foot  so  as  to  have  the  better  opportunity  for  observation,  he  was  unable  to  cut  off 
the  corners  of  the  zigzags,  and  was  obliged  to  follow  the  road.  The  road  is  car¬ 
ried  up  the  mountain  by  these  zigzags  on  the  sides,  up  which  a  coach  and  horses 
may  be  driven  almost  as  easily  as  on  a  level  road. 

Some  of  the  longest  railroad  tunnels  he  knew  of  were  in  England.  One  on  the 
Manchester  and  Sheffield  road  was  said  to  be  over  three  miles  long.  He  found 
no  inconvenience  or  unpleasantness  in  passing  through  it  on  account  of  smoke, 
steam,  &c. ;  in  fact,  it  did  not  then  occur  to  him  that  there  might  be  inconvenience 
arising  from  that  source ;  and  he  had  passed  through  probably  more  than  a  hun¬ 
dred  railroad  tunnels  on  his  travels,  and  had  never  experienced  any  inconvenience 
on  that  account.  He  named  other  tunnels  through  which  he  had  passed,  and 
which  are  described  in  these  guide-books.  The  Marseilles  is  about  two  and  three 
fourth  miles  long  ;  the  Blaisy  two  and  a  half,  &c.  A  tunnel  near  Liverpool  is  over 
a  mile  long.  Did  not  pass  through  a  tunnel  on  Manchester  and  Leeds  line ;  took 
another  route.  On  a  line  from  Aix-la-Chapelle  to  Liege,  in  a  distance  of  a  few 
miles,  he  went  through  many  tunnels;  this  is  between  Belgium  and  Prussia.  It 
seemed  to  him  as  if  he  was  under  ground  about  half  of  the  time,  but  probably 


13 


such  was  not  the  case.  These  tunnels  are  considered  a  great  curiosity  ;  so  much 
so  that  travellers  frequently  prefer  going  by  that  line,  for  the  sake  of  passing 
through  them,  end  seeing  the  skill  exhibited  in  their  construction.  The  road 
passes  over  a  broken,  hilly  country,  at  right  angles  with  the  ranges  of  hills. 
These  tunnels  are  by  no  means  considered  the  most  expensive  part  of  the  road. 
It  crosses  over  great  ravines  and  gorges,  by  means  of  magnificent  bridges  and 
embankments,  many  of  which  might  be  quite  as  expensive  as  the  tunnels.  He 
passed  over  another  line  of  railroad  in  Austria,  leading  from  Trieste  to  Vienna, 
which  is  considered  a  great  undertaking,  with  many  tunnels,  &c.  That  part  of 
the  road  leading  over  the  Alps  was  not  completed  when  he  passed  over  it,  but  he 
saw  the  works  going  on.  He  had  since  learned  that  it  was  finished.  It  involved 
a  great  amount  of  tunnelling  rock,  and  zigzagging  in  the  mountain  part.  He  also 
mentioned  a  tunnel  in  Saxony  (not  a  railroad  tunnel)  twenty-four  miles  long, 
which  is  described  in  these  guide-books,  as  well  as  a  great  many  other  useful  and 
interesting  works  of  art. 

These  guide-books  were  left  in  the  hands  of  the  committee  by  way  of  collateral 
evidence,  going  to  show  what  had  been  accomplished  by  enterprise,  and  skill  and 
science,  in  European  countries. 

OTIS  CLAPP’S  TESTIMONY. 

I  visited  the  tunnel  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio  in  June  last.  This  tunnel  is  building 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  an  outlet  from  the  city  for  railroads.  Cincinnati  is 
situated  on  the  bank  of  the  Ohio  river  with  a  high  hill  back  of  the  city,  and  as 
the  city  is  built  up  and  down  the  river,  the  railroads  are  obliged  to  enter  at  the 
ends,  so  that  the  depots  are  a  great  distance  from  the  centre  of  business.  It  is 
expected  therefore  when  the  tunnel  is  completed,  that  some  eight  or  ten  roads 
will  pass  through  it  and  have  their  depots  in  connection. 

There  will  be  deep  cuts  or  headings  arched  and  covered  over  for  about  half 
a  mile,  which  will  make  the  tunnel  about  two  miles  in  length.  There  are  three 
shafts  which  vary  a  little  in  depth,  and  average  182  feet.  The  work  was  com¬ 
menced  in  January  or  February  1853,  and  in  June  the  three  shafts  were  all 
down,  and  the  tunnelling  commenced.  The  contract  price  for  excavation  was 
$2.20  per  cubic  yard.  The  rock  was  easy  to  work,  as  easy  or  easier  than 
Hoosac  rock,  though  I  understood  they  have  since  come  to  harder  rock. 

[Mr.  C.  then  produced  a  copy  of  Ore’s  “Dictionary  of  Arts,  Manufactures,  and 
Mines.”]  This  work  is  one  of  standard  authority,  contains  a  vast  amount  of  in¬ 
formation,  and  the  author  has  had  charge  of  a  mine  some  20  years.  It  contains 
descriptions  as  well  as  numerous  pictorial  representations  of  the  tools  used  in 
mining,  modes  of  shafting,  excavating,  hoisting,  draining  galleries,  ventilation, 
&c.  &LC. 

As  many  doubts  have  existed,  and  still  exist  in  the  public  mind,  with  regard 
to  the  feasibility  of  working  shafts  775  feet  deep,  (the  proposed  depth  of  the 
Hoosac.)  or  of  the  ability  to  ventilate  a  tunnel  of  the  length  proposed,  I  have: 
marked  some  passages  bearing  upon  this  question  to  which  I  propose  to  call 
the  attention  of  the  committee.  It  will  be  here  perceived  that  shafts  are  oft»»n 
sunk  from  100  to  1900  feet  deep.  It  will  therefore  be  perceived  that  the  tunnel¬ 
ling  of  Hoosac  Mountain,  and  making  the  necessary  shafts,  is  only  attempting 
on  a  small  scale,  what  has  often  been  performed  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  on 
a  much  larger  scale. 

The  mines  alluded  to  are  very  numerous,  employing  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
persons  under  ground  to  the  depth  of  from  100  to  more  than  3000  feet.  He  gives 
descriptions  of  mines  under  22  different  heads  such  as  the  mines  of  the  Ural 
Mountains,  the  Alps,  Cordilleras,  Pyrenees,  &c.  Under  these  h£ads,  they  are 
2 


14 


divided  into  groups.  Humboldt  describes  3000  distinct  mines  as  worked  in  Mexico 
at  the  time  of  his  visit.  In  the  kingdom  of  Saxony,  with  a  territory  less  than 
that  of  this  State,  there  are  about  500,  and  in  the  region  of  Frieburg  the  capital 
of  the  mining  region,  about  130.  This  place  once  contained  40,000  inhabitants; 
it  has  now  only  13,000 ;  its  rise  and  fall  have  kept  pace  with  the  productiveness 
of  its  silver  mines  which  have  been  worked  since  the  12th  century.  “  They 
have  of  late,1”  according  to  Murray’s  Guide  Book,  u  much  fallen  off,  owing  in  a  • 
great  degree  to  the  richest  veins  being  worked  out,  or  to  the  shafts  being  driven  so 
deep  that  it  is  impossible  to  drain  off' the  water  from  them.  A  project  of  clearing 
them,  by  piercing  a  tunnel  through  the  mountains  to  the  Elbe  at  Meissen,  is  in 
progress,  and  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  stupendous  undertakings  of  the  kind  ^ 
in  Europe,  its  length  being  about  24  miles.  It  has  been  calculated  by  Breithaupt 
that  the  Freiburg  mines  have  produced,  in  640  years,  during  which  they  have 
been  worked,  down  to  1825,  82,000  cwt.  of  silver,  or  the  worth  of  240  millions 
dollars.  The  amount  of  silver  gained  in  1850  equalled  $800,000.” 

“  Several  of  the  enterprises  ”  says  Mr.  Ure,  “  executed  in  mines,  or  in  subser¬ 
viency  to  them,  merit  a  distinguished  rank  among  the  history  of  human  labors. 
Several  mines  are  worked  to  a  depth  of  1500  feet,  some  even  to  3000  feet  below 
the  surface  of  the  soil.  A  great  many  descend  below  the  level  of  the  ocean  ; 
and  a  few  even  extend  under  its  billows,  and  are  separated  from  them  by  a 
thin  partition  of  rock,  which  allows  their  noise,  and  the  rolling  of  the  pebbles  to 
be  heard.” 

“  The  great  drainage  gallery  of  the  mines  of  Clausthal,  in  the  Hartz,  is  6J 
miles  long,  and  passes  upwards  of  900  feet  below  the  church  of  Clausthal.  Its 
excavation  lasted  from  the  year  1777  to  1800,  and  cost  about  $330,000.  Several 
other  galleries  of  efflux  might  also  be  adduced,  as  remarkable  for  their  great 
length  and  expense  of  formation.” 

“  The  carriage  of  the  coal  extracted  from  the  mines  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Newcastle  to  their  points  of  embarkation,  is  executed  almost  entirely,  both  under 
ground  and  on  the  surface,  on  iron  railways,  possessing  an  extent  of  upwards  of 
500  miles.” 

The  Hartz  is  about  43  miles  long,  and  18  in  breadth.  “  As  agriculture 
furnishes  few  resources  there,  the  exploration  of  mines  is  almost  the  only  means 
of  subsistence  to  its  inhabitants,  who  amount  to  about  40,000.” 

The  richest  silver  mines  are  worked  to  a  depth  of  16^0  feet. 

The  district  which  yields  most  lead  is  Clausthal  ;  it  comprehends  a  great  many 
mines,  several  of  which  are  worked  to  a  depth  of  1650  feet. 

The  water  is  all  saved  for  a  distance  of  125  miles  in  34  tanks  and  reservoirs, 
and  carried  through  subterranean  galleries,  which  supply  water  to  92  wheels  of  , 
30  feet  diameter,  55  of  which  serve  for  drainage  of  water,  and  57  for  the  ex¬ 
traction  of  ores. 

The  mines  of  Kuttenberg  in  Germany  have  been  excavated  to  upwards  of 
3000  feet. 

The  tin  mines  of  Aberthom  are  explored  to  a  depth  of  1650  feet,  and  those  of 
Altenberg  990  feet. 

A  table  of  French  mines  in  1832  gives  the  number  as  131  iron,  and  67  of  other  { 

ores.  They  are  sunk  to  a  depth  of  660  feet.  The  lead  mines  produce  annually 
1,200,000  lbs.  lead,  several  thousand  pounds  of  copper,  1,034  lbs  of  silver,  and 
employ  900  men. 

Cornwall  and  Devonshire  produce  annually  about  6,180,000  lbs.  tin. 

18,' 00,000  “  copper. 

1,760,000  «  lead. 


making  a  total  of 


26,640,000  lbs. 


15 


Many  of  these  mines  are  explored  to  the  depth  of  1200  feet,  and  steam  engines 
of  several  hundred  horse  power  are  used. 

The  mines  of  Sweden  produce  annually  about  165  million  pounds  of  iron,  of 
which  two  thirds  are  exported.  “  The  workings  of  the  copper  mines  are  now 
prosecuted  by  shafts  and  galleries,  into  the  lower  part  of  the  deposite,  and  have 
arrived  to  a  depth  of  1290  feet.  They  display  excavations  spacious  enough  to 
admit  the  employment  of  horses,  and  the  establishment  of  forges  for  repairing 
the  miners’  tools.  It  is  asserted  that  the  exploration  of  this  mine  goes  back  to  a 
period  anterior  to  the  Christian  era.”  During  its  greatest  prosperity,  it  produced 
5000  tons  per  annum. 

Jn  the  mine  of  Kutz-Puhl,  in  the  Alps,  the  workings  reached  in  1759  to  near 
3300  feet  in  depth. 

The  Salt  Mines  of  Austria  have  been  worked  over  600  years,  and  present 
numerous  tunnels  and  under-ground  galleries.  “  The  limestone  mountains  of 
Salzburg,  Styria,  Tyrol,  Transylvania,  and  Bavaria  abound  in  deposits  of  salt, 
which  are  enveloped  in  the  strata  of  the  mountain,  to  use  a  homely  phrase,  like 
apples  within  the  crust  of  a  pudding,”  and  the  mines  are  sources  of  considerable 
revenue  to  all  these  countries,  employing  a  great  number  of  persons.  To  obtain 
the  salt,  pits  and  galleries  are  cut  through  the  solid  limestone  rock  as  far  as  the 
softer  beds  containing  the  salt.  Here  mountain  streams  of  fresh  water  are  let 
in,  which  becomes  saturated  with  the  salt,  and  is  then  drawn  off  at  pleasure  and 
carried  to  points  where  boiling  or  evaporating  pans  are  in  use  to  turn  the  brine 
into  salt.  It  is  calculated  that  100  lbs.  of  brine,  produces  26  lbs.  of  salt.  Whole 
forests  are  consumed  for  fuel,  which  is  floated  down  the  streams  for  this  purpose. 
When  fuel  becomes  scarce,  the  brine  is  carried  by  conduits  to  points  where  it  is 
more  plenty,  it  being  cheaper  to  carry  the  water  than  the  fuel.  These  conduits 
sometimes  extend  30  miles,  and  in  one  case,  in  Bavaria,  nearly  60  miles.  They 
are  carried  along  the  side  of  precipices,  through  tunnels  or  canals  cut  in  the 
rocks,  and  over  deep  ravines  supported  upon  piles  or  props. 

At  Rosenheim  20,000,000  lbs.  of  salt  are  made  annually,  and  the  brine  is 
carried  in  iron  pipes  42  miles,  and  is  actually  pumped  up  over  1500  feet,  by  the 
aid  of  very  powerful  and  ingeniously  contrived  hydraulic  pumps,  to  surmount 
two  ranges  of  mountains. 

At  Hallein  mines,  10,540  tons  of  salt  are  made  annually.  The  Durrenberg 
hill,  1200  feet  high,  is  bored  through  by  8  horizontal  levels  or  galleries,  each  con¬ 
nected  with  those  above  and  below  by  shafts  cut  at  a  slope  of  45  degrees.  “  So 
great  is  the  extent  of  the  galleries  and  passages  of  the  mines,  that  a  week,  it  is 
said,  would  be  required  to  traverse  them  from  end  to  end.”  —  Hand  Book ,  <S.  Ger¬ 
many,  pp.  186,  256. 

The  salt  mines  near  Cracow  have  been  worked  over  900  years.  Their  depth 
is  1783  feet,  and  their  annual  produce  averages  55,121  tons,  nearly  10,000  tons 
more  than  was  brought  from  Albany  to  Boston  by  the  Western  Railroad  in  1852. 
The  miners  are  represented  as  a  fine  race  of  men,  and  their  labor  as  healthy. 
A  fortnight  would  scarcely  suffice  to  explore  the  whole  extent  of  the  excavations, 
the  whole  town,  including  a  lake,  being  undermined  with  them.  —  Hand  Book , 
p.  489. 

Styrian  Railway  over  the  Semmering  Pass. 

It  is  25  miles  in  length,  and  is  carried  over  the  Semmering  by  means  of  12  tun¬ 
nels,  and  II  vaulted  cuttings.  The  main  tunnel,  which  is  also  the  highest,  is 
1561  English  yards  in  length,  at  an  elevation  of  2893  English  feet  above  the  sea. 
Gloggnitz  is  137s  feet,  and  Murzzuschlag  2181  feet  above  the  sea  level.  The  de¬ 
cline  from  the  tunnel  to  Gloggnitz  is  therefore  1515  feet, and  to  Murzzuschlag  712 
feet.  The  Wolfsberg  tunnel  is  485  yards  long,  the  Weberkogl  tunnel  458  yards, 
another  388  yards.  Altogether,  there  are  about  4000  yards  of  tunnelling.  The 
line  rises  in  gradients,  varying  between  1  to  40,  and  1  in  100.  About  7  English 


16 


miles  on  the  Styrian,  and  4f  on  the  Austrian  side  of  the  mountain  are  ready  for  the 
rails,  which  are  now  (May,  1851)  being  laid  down,  and  it  is  expected  that  before  the 
close  of  the  present  year,  1851,  the  Semmering  railway,  which  is  unquestionably 
one  of  the  most  extrardinary  works  of  the  kind  in  Europe,  will  be  nearly  com¬ 
pleted. —  Murray's  Hand  Book  S.  Germany ,  p.  403. 

Verniers  Railway  —  Liege  to  Aix-la-Chapelle,  finished  in  1843-44. 

“The  country  between  Liege  and  Aix-la-Chapelle  (34f  miles)  presented  seri¬ 
ous  obstacles  to  the  formation  of  a  railway,  which  have  been  overcome  only 
by  the  utmost  skill  and  arduous  exertions  of  the  engineer.  The  cost  exceeded 
25,000,000  francs,  ($5,000,000) ;  there  are  no  less  than  19  tunnels  in  the  Belgian 
part  of  the  line  alone,  so  that  it  has  been  compared  to  a  needle  run  through  a 
corkscrew.  It  is  conducted  across  the  Meuse  by  a  fine  bridge  (Pont  du  Val  St. 
Benoit)  of  7  arches  4fc9  feet  long,  a  little  way  above  Liege.  It  afterwards  follows 
nearly  the  same  line  as  the  high  road  as  far  as  Limburg,  crossing  the  Vesdre 
by  17  bridges,  and  repeatedly  piercing  the  rock.  The  river  Ourthe  is  crossed  by 
a  bridge  of  3  arches.”  —  Murray's  Hand  Book  N.  Germany ,  p.  177. 

Stelvio  Pass ,  over  the  Alps  —  Hand  Book ,  p.  306. 

“This  very  remarkable  road,  the  highest  in  Europe,  practicable  for  carriages, 
being  9.76  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  [nearly  3000  feet  higher  than  Mount 
Washington,]  and  2300  feet,  or  nearly  half  a  mile  perpendicular  above  the  Simplon, 
and  1000  feet  above  the  St.  Bernard,  was  constructed  by  the  Austrian  government, 
in  order  to  open  an  additional  line  of  communication  between  Vienna  and  the  centre 
of  Lombardy,  and  was  completed  in  1828.  It  was  planned  by  the  chief  en¬ 
gineer,  Donegani,  and  executed  under  the  inspection  of  the  engineer  Domenici, 
by  the  contractor  Talachini,  at  an  expense  of  nearly  3  million  florins,  or  about 
$1,450,500. 

“  Whether  we  consider  the  boldness  of  the  design,  the  difficulties  of  its  execu¬ 
tion  from  the  great  height  and  exposure  to  storms  and  avalanches,  or  the  grandeur 
of  the  scenery  through  which  it  passes,  the  route  of  the  Stelvio  is  the  most  re¬ 
markable  in  Europe.  The  galleries  cut  for  miles  through  the  solid  rock,  along 
the  margin  of  the  Lake  Como  —  those  higher  up  built  of  massive  masonry,  strong 
enough  to  resist  the  fall  of  avalanches  —  the  long  causeways  carried  over  morasses 
—  the  bridges  thrown  across  torrents  —  the  long  succession  of  zigzag  terraces,  car¬ 
ried  up  with  so  gradual  a  slope,  that  an  English  mail-coach  might  trot  up  on  one 
side,  and  scarce  require  to  lock  a  wheel  on  the  other;  which  nevertheless  scale 
and  surmount  one  of  the  highest  ridges  in  the  Alps  —  these  are  works  which  with¬ 
out  exaggeration  deserve  to  be  called  stupendous.” 

“Where  slides  occur,  tunnels  and  galleries  are  made  by  which  the  road  is  skil¬ 
fully  protected.  Seven  of  these  galleries,  2226  feet  long,  occur  on  one  side  of 
the  mountain,  and  50  zigzags  are  constructed  to  preserve  a  gradual  ascent.” 

“  The  Grand  Ship  Canal  of  North  Holland  is  one  of  the  greatest  undertakings  of 
the  kind  ever  executed,  extending  from  Amsterdam  to  Helder,  a  distance  of  51 
miles.  It  is  124  feet  wide  at  top,  31  feet  wide  at  bottom,  and  21  feet  deep,  and 
will  allow  two  frigates  to  pass.  The  difficulties  which  opposed  the  formation  of  this 
canal  through  ground  consisting  of  low  swamp  and  loose  sand,  increase  our  admi¬ 
ration  of  the  skill  and  perseverance  by  which  it  was  planned  and  executed.  The 
original  seashore,  which  is  the  only  firm  ground  in  North  Holland,  was  found  by 
borino;  to  be  45  feet  under  the  surface,  and  the  foundations  of  the  locks  were  laid 
at  that  depth. 

“  It  was  begun  in  1819,  and  finished  in  1825,  and  cost  about  $7,500,000.”  — 
Murray's  Hand  Book  N.  Germany,  p.  61. 

1  have  a  list  of  76  tunnels  in  France.  One  3J  miles  long,  one  2f,  one  2  miles, 
5  between  one  and  two  miles  long,  &c. 

On  the  railroad  from  Paris  to  Rouen  are  5  tunnels,  two  of  which  exceed  one 
mile  each  in  length. 


17 


A  wire  bridge  across  the  Rhone,  suspended  from  4  piers  1446  feet  long,  built 
in  1820,  is  represented  to  have  cost  c£600,000,  or  $3,000,000. 

“77ie  Canal  of  St.  Quentin ,  in  France,  is  of  great  importance  to  the  town;  it 
connects  the  basin  of  the  Somme  with  that  of  the  Scheldt,  and  is  carried  through 
the  intervening  hills  by  tunnels,  one  at  Tronquoi,  half  a  mile  long,  another  at 
Riqueval,  3£  miles  long,  cut  through  the  solid  rock;  it  is  20  feet  high,  and  20  feet 
broad  ;  it  admits  only  one  barge  to  pass  at  a  time  towed  by  men.  By  means  of 
this  canal,  a  communication  is  opened  between  the  river  Scheldt  and  the  extreme 
eastern  departments  of  France  and  the  Atlantic,  through  the  river  Somme,  Seine, 
and  Loire;  it  was  completed  by  Napoleon  in  1810.” — Murray's  Hand  Book  of 
France, ,  pp.  573,  574. 

By  this  canal  Paris  is  supplied  with  large  quantities  of  coal  taken  from  40  coal 
mines  in  the  Department  du  Nord,  the  most  important  in  France,  some  of  which 
are  described  as  1640  feet  deep. 

Canal  to  Marseilles  from  the  Durance  —  completed  in  1847. 

This  canal  derives  its  water  from  the  Durance,  and  is  conducted  by  open  cut¬ 
ting  and  tunnelling  for  a  distance  of  60  miles,  through  a  most  mountainous  and 
difficult  country  until  it  reaches  the  arid  territory  of  Marseilles,  where  it  is  em¬ 
ployed  for  the  supply  of  the  city,  as  well  as  for  irrigation,  and  giving  activity  to 
various  branches  of  industry  which  require  water  power. 

The  section  and  fall  of  this  canal  is  calculated  to  pass  1£  million  tons  of  water 
per  day,  and  its  levels  are  so  disposed,  that  this  quantity  of  water  will  arrive 
near  to  the  city,  at  an  elevation  of  400  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

Perhaps  no  work  of  this  description  has  been  attempted  either  in  ancient  or 
modern  times  more  hardy  in  its  conception,  or  more  really  useful  in  its  effects. 

Three  chains  of  limestone  mountain  are  pierced  by  45  tunnels,  forming  an 
aggregate  length  of  8J-  miles,  and  numerous  intervening  valleys  are  crossed  by 
aqueducts.  The  ravine  of  the  river  Arc  (about  5  miles  from  Aix)  is  a  structure 
of  gigantic  dimensions.  Its  elevation  above  the  river  is  262  feet  [some  30  feet 
higher  than  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument,]  and  its  length  across  the  ravine  is  1287 
feet.  The  design  of  this  gigantic  structure  is  in  excellent  taste,  and  as  a  work  of 
art,  it  will  not  suffer  from  comparison  with  the  famous  Pont  du  Gard,  which  it 
will  much  surpass  both  in  altitude  and  size.  Its  total  cost  was  $155,970 

One  of  the  tunnels  was  over  2  miles  long.  Great  difficulty  was  experienced  in 
making  these  tunnels  on  account  of  the  hardness  of  the  rock. 

The  object  and  use  of  this  canal  is  to  convey  to  the  arid  territory  of  Marseilles 
an  almost  unlimited  supply  of  water  for  irrigation,  and  to  the  city  a  quantity  suffi¬ 
cient  for  domestic  and  public  distribution,  and  for  giving  activity  to  various 
branches  of  industry,  which  may  require  water  power.  Branch  canals  for  dis¬ 
tributing  the  water  are  made,  which  amount  in  all  to  97  miles.  The  total  cost  is 
rising  of  $10,000,000. 

The  Breakwater  at  Cherbourg ,  in  France ,  is  worthy  of  attention,  as  an  exhi¬ 
bition  of  engineering  on  a  gigantic  scale.  It  is  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  safe 
and  strong  harbor  on  this  part  of  her  coast,  exactly  opposite  Portsmouth, 
England.  It  has  been  over  50  years  in  building,  and  is  not  yet  quite  completed. 
The  operations  of  the  first  16  years  were  destroyed  by  a  violent  storm.  It  has, 
however,  been  steadily  prosecuted  by  every  government  since  Louis  XVI. 

The  Breakwater  is  4111  yards  long,  310  yards  at  the  base,  22  yards  high,  103 
yards  at  the  top,  making  18,631,052  cubic  yards.  It  is  laid  in  water  from  36  to 
45  feet  deep,  and  contains  more  than  50  times  the  number  of  cubic  yards  of 
stone  required  in  the  excavation  of  lloosac  Tunnel.  The  Breakwater  at  Ports¬ 
mouth  is  1760  yards  long,  120  yards  wide  at  base,  16  yards  wide  at  top,  and  14 
yards  high,  and  contains  1,1*75,520  cubic  yards,  or  nearly  five  times  the  number 
of  cubic  yards  as  the  Hoosac  Tunnel. 

1  have  an  English  work  entitled  “Our  Iron  Roads:  their  History,  Construction, 

2* 


IB 


and  Social  Influences,  by  F.  S.  Williams.”  It  contains  a  vast  amount  of  informa¬ 
tion  respecting  tunnels,  viaducts,  bridges,  &c.,  with  pictorial  representations  of 
many  of  the  most  important  engineering  structures  in  England,  which  enables  us 
to  draw  a  comparison  with  the  Hoosac  Tunnel. 

The  cost  of  railroads  in  England,  as  compared  with  those  in  this  country,  is 
most  striking.  There  are  two  that  cost,  per  mile ,  as  follows : 

Greenwich  Railroad,  <£'*270,000,  or  $1,350,000. 

Black  wall  44  <£266,000,  44  $1,330,000. 

The  Dock  and  Birmingham  Junction  cost  about  $500,000  per  mile. 

The  average  expense  of  nine  railroads,  (not  including  the  above,)  is  given  as 
$284,575  per  mile. 

The  cost  of  land  damages  merely  on  three  lines,  averaged  about  $70,000  per 
mile.  This  is  more  than  the  whole  cost  of  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  Railroad, 
from  Greenfield  to  the  New  York  line,  including  the  tunnel. 

There  are  many  deep  cuttings  on  the  English  railroads,  which  far  exceed  in  the 
amount  of  excavation  that  of  the  Hoosac  Tunnel. 

The  Olive  Mount  Cutting ,  on  the  Liverpool  and  Manchester  Railroad,  on  some 
parts  is  more  than  100  feet  deep,  and  4^0,000  cubic  yards  of  solid  rock  was 
excavated;  118,500  yards  more  than  in  tfte  Hoosac  Tunnel.  Tunnelling  would 
have  been  cheaper,  but  in  this  case  the  material  was  required  for  an  embankment 
in  the  vicinity. 

The  Blisworth  Cutting  passes  through  limestone  and  clay,  and  upwards  of 
1,000,000  cubic  yards  of  earth  had  to  be  removed,  (nearly  three  times  as  much 
as  Hoosac,)  about  one-third  of  which  was  limestone,  nearly  as  hard  as  flint  —  3000 
barrels  of  gunpowder  were  used  in  the  blasting.  The  cost  was  about  $1,250,000. 

The  Tring  Cutting,  on  the  London  and  Birmingham  Road,  passes  through 
chalk  nearly  24  miles  long,  average  depth  40  feet,  crossed  by  four  bridges  with 
arches.  Amount  excavated,  1,400,000  cubic  yards,  nearly  four  times  the  amount 
of  the  Hoosac  Tunnel. 

The  New  Cross  Cutting ,  on  the  Corydon  line,  is  85  feet  deep.  There  was  one 
land  slip  in  the  highest  part  of  50,000  cubic  yards,  which  covered  both  lines  of  rails 
nearly  12  feet  deep,  and  360  feet  long.  Other  slides  occurred,  making  in  all 
250,000  cubic  yards  which  had  to  be  removed,  making  an  amount  equal  to  two- 
thirds  of  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  excavation. 

In  the  Haslington  Cutting,  nearly  500,000  cubic  yards  of  peat,  sand,  and 
gravel,  had  to  be  removed,  —  nearly  one-third  more  than  the  Hoosac. 

There  is  a  Sand  Cutting  through  the  Cowran  Hills,  110  feet  deep. 

Blasting  Rock  Down  Cliff. — The  railway  from  Folkestone  to  Dover,  passes 
the  chalk  cliff’s  some  five  miles  in  extent,  of  which  the  celebrated  Shakspeare’s 
Cliff  is  a  part  of  the  range.  The  Rock  Down  Cliff  was  a  protuberance  into  the 
sea  375  feet  high,  300  feel  long,  and  70  feet  in  thickness,  directly  in  the  way  of 
the  railway.  To  tunnel  it,  or  to  dig  it  down,  would  have  caused  delay.  The 
engineer,  William  Cubitt,  conceived  the  idea  of  removing  it  at  one  blast.  He  there¬ 
fore  sunk  a  shaft  and  placed  in  it  19,000  pounds  of  gunpowder,  and  by  the  aid  of 
galvanism,  discharged  the  whole  at  once.  A  dull,  muffled,  booming  sound  was 
heard,  accompanied  for  a  moment  by  a  heavy  jolting  movement  of  the  earth, 
which  caused  the  knees  to  smite.  In  an  instant,  the  bottom  of  the  cliff  appeared 
to  dissolve,  and  to  form  by  its  melting  elements  a  hurried  sea-borne  stream.  The 
superincumbent  mass,  to  the  extent  of  about  500  feet  was  then  observed  to  sepa¬ 
rate  from  the  main  land,  and  gradually  sank  to  the  beach.  The  stream  of  debris 
extended  a  distance  of  1200  feet,  and  covered  a  distance  of  more  than  15  acres ! 

“■Nothing,”  says  Sir  John  Herschel,  44  can  place  in  a  more  signal  light  the  exact¬ 
ness  of  calculation  which  could  enable  the  eminent  engineer,  by  whom  the  whole 
arrangements  are  understood  to  have  been  made,  so  completely  to  task  to  its 
utmost  every  pound  of  power  employed  as  to  exhaust  itself  in  useful  work 


19 


—  leaving  no  superfluous  power  to  be  wasted  in  useless  uproar,  or  mischievous 
dispersion,  and  thus  saving  at  a  blow  not  less  than  $35,000  to  the  railway  com¬ 
pany.” 

A  million  tons  of  weight,  and  a  million  tons  of  cohesion,  were  thus  severed  at 
a  blow — an  amount  nearly,  if  not  quite  equal  to  the  whole  excavation  of  Hoosac 
Tunnel ! 

The  earth  works  of  some  of  the  English  railways  are  enormous.  Thus  the 
South  Western  Railway  was  estimated  at  16,000,000  cubic  yards,  or  200,000 
cubic  yards  per  mile,  or  considerably  more  than  one-half  the  amount  of  the  Hoosac 
Tunnel,  for  each  and  every  mile. 

The  London  and  Birmingham  Railway  is  represented  as  the  greatest  public 
work  ever  executed  in  ancient  or  modern  times.  Mr.  Lecomte  has  made  some 
interesting  calculations  in  illustration  of  the  labor  involved  in  its  construction. 
For  this  purpose  he  institutes  a  comparison  between  the  railway  and  the  great 
Pyramid  of  Egypt.  After  making  the  necessary  allowances  for  the  foundations, 
galleries,  &c.,  and  reducing  the  whole  to  one  uniform  denomination,  it  will  be 
found  that  the  labor  expended  on  the  great  pyramid  was  equivalent  to  lifting 
15,733,000,000  cubic  feet  of  stone,  one  foot  high.  This  labor  was  performed, 
according  to  Herodotus,  by  100,000  men  in  20  years.  The  same  rule  applied  to 
the  London  and  Birmingham  railway,  shows  25,000,000,000  cubic  feet  of  material 
lifted  one  foot  high,  or  9,267,000,000  more  than  in  the  pyramid  ;  and  which  was 
performed  by  20,000  men  in  five  years. 

The  above  calculation  omits  all  the  tunnelling,  culverts,  drains,  ballasting, 
fencing,  &c.  Another  mode  of  comparison  to  show  the  magnitude  of  the  work 
is  as  follows:  “Take  the  circumference  of  the  earth  in  round  numbers,  at 
130,000,000  feet.  Then,  as  there  are  about  400,000,000  cubic  feet  of  earth  to 
be  moved  in  the  railway,  we  see  that  this  quantity  of  material  alone,  without  look¬ 
ing  at  anything  else,  would,  if  spread  in  a  band  one  foot  high,  and  one  foot  broad, 
more  than  three  times  encompass  the  earth  at  the  equator.” 

The  Viaducts  in  England  are  numerous,  and  altogether  more  difficult  and 
expensive  than  tunnels. 

The  celebrated  Britannia  Tubular  Bridge  is  but  1492  feet  long.  Height  of 
one  of  the  towers  230  feet,  and  cost  $2,500,000. 

There  is  another  tubular  bridge  at  Chepstow,  610  feet  long. 

Also,  1  Viaduct,  1^00  feet  long,  90  feet  high,  on  26  arches. 

1  “  *  114  “  “ 

1  “  125  “  “  120  “  “ 

1  “  1530  “  “  150  “  « 

1  “  near  Rugby,  with  200,000  feet  of  stone  used,  &c.  &c. 

Mr.  Stephenson,  the  engineer  of  the  tubular  bridge,  visited  Montreal  the  last 
season,  to  examine  and  give  his  views  on  bridging  the  St.  Lawrence  at  that 
city.  His  report  was  that  it  might  readily  be  done,  and  that  the  cost  would  be 
$5,000,000. 

Ventilation  of  Tunnels.  —  On  this  subject  the  same  timidity  was  formerly  felt  in 
England  5s  is  now  felt  here,  and  before  the  opening  of  the  London  and  Birming¬ 
ham  line,  it  was  resolved  that  the  subject  should  receive  a  thorough  investigation ; 
and  this  was  accordingly  entrusted  to  Dr.  Paris,  Dr.  Watson,  Messrs.  Lawrence 
and  Lucas,  Surgeons,  and  Mr  Phillips,  Lecturer  on  Chemistry,  who  made  their 
observations  on  Primrose  Hill  Tunnel.  They  reported  that  the  air  for  many  feet 
above  their  heads  was  dry,  clear,  of  an  agreeable  temperature,  and  free  from  un¬ 
pleasant  smells,  and  that  the  sensation  experienced,  as  they  passed  along  in  a 
train,  was  precisely  that  of  travelling  in  a  coach  by  night  between  the  walls  of  a 
narrow  street.  “Judging  from  this  experiment,”  they  said,  “and  knowing  the 
ease  and  certainty  with  which  ihorough  ventilation  may  be  efFected,  we  are  decid¬ 
edly  of  opinion  that  the  dangers  incurred  in  passing  through  well-constructed 


20 


tunnels,  are  no  greater  than  those  incurred  in  ordinary  travelling  upon  an  open 
railway,  or  upon  a  turnpike  road  ;  and  that  the  apprehensions  which  some  have 
expressed,  that  such  tunnels  are  likely  to  prove  detrimental  to  the  health,  or  incon¬ 
venient  to  the  feelings  of  those  who  go  through  them,  are  perfectly  futile  and 
groundless.” 

Mr.  Ure  gives  a  comparative  table  of  four  celebrated  Mines  in  Europe  and 
America,  by  F.  Burr,  Esq.,  1835,  from  which  I  have  made  the  following  abstract: 

Consolidated  and  United  Mines ,  the  richest  in  Cornwall.  Their  surface  is  from 
200  to  300  feet  above  the  sea,  and  the  Mines  are  sunk  to  1370  feet  below  the  sea. 

The  water  raised  varies  from  2  to  3000  gallons  per  minute,  or  over  4,000,000 
gallons  per  day  —  equal  to  about  one  half  the  daily  supply  to  the  city  of  Boston. 

It  is  raised  1380  feet.  Nine  steam  engines  are  used,  equivalent  to  4500  horse 
power,  1500  of  which  are  constantly  at  work. 

About  2500  men  are  employed,  of  whom  1450  are  employed  under  ground. 

16,400  tons  of  copper  and  a  few  tons  of  tin,  are  produced  annually. 

Average  annual  expense  for  drainage,  863,000. 

The  interest  on  capital  invested  was  280  per  cent,  after  paying  back  the  original 
capital. 

Vela  Grande  Mines ,  the  richest  in  Mexico.  Elevation  about  6000  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea,  and  about  1000  feet  deep. 

The  water  is  raised  about  930  feet,  at  the  rate  of  about  80  gallons  per  minute. 

21,380  tons  of  silver  ore  produced  annually.  About  9i)0  men  are  employed  — 
600  under  ground. 

Annual  expense  of  drainage,  $100,000. 

Interest  on  capital  employed  nearly  700  per  cent,  after  paying  back  the  original 
capital. 

Mine  of  Valencia.,  in  Mexico.  Elevation  7617  feet  above  the  sea,  and  nearly 
2000  feet  deep. 

Water  raised  about  1860  feet,  at  the  rate  of  about  110  gallons  per  minute. 

32,500  tons  of  silver  ore  are  produced  annually,  at  a  value  of  $3,000,000. 

3100  Indians  and  Mestizoes  are  employed,  of  whom  1800  are  employed  under 
ground. 

Average  annual  expense  for  drainage,  $200,000. 

Mine  of  Himmelsfurst,  richest  in  Saxony.  About  1100  feet  deep.  The  water 
is  raised  about  798  feet  by  water  wheels,  at  the  rate  of  about  50  gallons  per  minute. 
630  tons  of  silver  ore  are  annually  produced.  700  miners  are  employed,  of  whom 
550  are  under  ground. 

A  recapitulation  shows  that  in  these  four  mines  7200  men  were  employed,  of 
whom  4400  were  employed  under  ground. 

Boston ,  Friday,  Feb.  3,  1854. 

The  committee  met  in  the  Senate  Chamber,  and  were  called  to  order  at  3J- 
o’clock,  P.  M.,  when  a  quorum  of  the  members  responded  to  their  names. 

E.  H.  Derby,  Esq.  for  the  petitioners,  introduced  Shadrack  Robinson,  Esq.  as 
a  witness,  who  being  sworn,  testified  as  follows  :  — 

MR.  ROBINSON’S  TESTIMONY. 

Resides  in  Boston.  Is,  and  has  been  for  the  last  twenty  years  engaged  in  the 
flour  and  grain  business.  Ships  annually  from  the  West  from  13*1,000  to  150,- 
000  barrels  of  flour.  His  shipments  of  last  year  were  some  130,000.  of  the  year 
before  nearly  200,000  barrels.  He  disposes  of  flour  at  places  on  all  the  roads 
between  here  and  Ogdensburg,  and  between  here  and  Albany,  also  on  the  routes 
from  the  West  to  Portland.  He  goes  to  the  West  in  the  summer  and  fall  for 
the  purpose  of  purchasing  flour,  and  makes  his  purchases  at  Cleveland,  Toledo, 


21 


Sandusky,  Detroit,  &,c.  He  avails  himself  of  the  canals  and  railroads  between 
here  and  these  points  for  the  transportation  of  his  flour.  During  the  past  year 
he  has  shipped  by  all  routes  —  byway  of  Buffalo,  Oswego,  Ogdensburg,  over 
the  Atlantic  and  St.  Lawrence  Road,  to  Portland,  &c.  Shipments  by  the  way 
of  the  Atlantic  and  St.  Lawrence  Road  have  to  go  down  the  river  in  barges.  This 
route  came  into  operation  in  July  last.  He  had  made  a  contract  for  14,000  or 
15,000  barrels,  to  come  to  Boston  by  the  way  of  Portland.  This  amount  had  not 
all  come  through,  the  early  cold  weather  having  cut  off  some  of  the  vessels. 
Two  vessels  laden  through  were  frozen  up  and  had  to  unload  at  Ogdensburg. 
The  route  by  the  way  of  Portland  is  the  cheapest ;  by  it  he  saved  from  thirteen 
to  fifteen  cents  a  barrel.  The  most  of  it,  however,  was  sold  at  Portland.  By 
the  contract  rates,  all  the  way  to  Boston,  he  saved  from  twelve  to  fourteen  cents 
a  barrel.  There  may  be  some  tendency  towards  Portland’s  becoming  a  large 
exporting  port.  Dealers  shipped  last  fall  from  the  lakes  to  Portland  as  cheap  as 
they  can  to  New  York.  It  costs  four  or  five  cents  more  per  barrel  to  send  flour 
to  Ogdensburg  than  if  it  stopped  at  Oswego,  and  ten  cents  additional  if  it  is  sent 
to  Montreal  —  that  is,  fifteen  cents  more  to  Montreal  than  to  Oswego.  The  rail¬ 
road  from  Montreal  to  Portland,  if  he  recollected  rightly,  is  294  miles  long. 

Question.  —  Now,  Sir,  assuming  that  in  coming  with  your  flour  you  are  at 
Oswego,  or  at  Sacketts  Harbor,  which  is  close  by  I  think  on  the  lake,  you  were 
to  meet  with  a  railroad  coming  down  to  Troy,  and  thence  by  the  way  of  the 
tunnel  through  to  Boston,  only  335  miles  long,  how  could  flour  be  shipped  in 
that  direction  ? 

Answer.  —  It  must  be  at  a  much  less  cost.  Provided  you  charge  the  same 
per  mile  on  that  road,  it  would  certainly  save  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  barrel 
at  least,  over  the  route  by  way  of  Portland.  It  would  give  Boston  an  advantage 
of  twelve  and  a  half  cents  over  Portland. 

Question.  —  And  if  the  price  is  the  same  for  transportation  to  Portland  as  to 
New  York,  it  would  give  the  same  advantage  over  New  York,  would  it  not  ? 

Answer.  — The  prices  vary  to  New  York.  Last  fall  the  prices  went  up  on  the 
canal,  as  it  generally  does  in  the  fall.  The  price  rises  as  the  fall  approaches 
on  all  routes,  canals  and  all.  We  paid  eighteen  cents  per  barrel  from  Albany 
to  New  York  last  fall,  —  shipped  from  15,000  to  18,000  or  20,000  barrels. 

There  have  been  large  shipments  made  during  the  past  season  to  Europe. 
The  European  demand  has  increased  during  the  past  season  more  than  we  can 
supply.  All  the  avenues  from  the  west  to  the  eastern  seaboard  have  been  over¬ 
flowing,  and  it  was  impossible  to  get  it  along  in  season.  As  far  as  I  have  been 
acquainted  with  it,  there  is  no  mistake  but  the  western  trade  is  increasing  faster 
than  the  facilities  for  getting  stuff  forward.  For  the  last  two  years  the  facilities 
have  been  unequal  to  the  trade.  It  has  sometimes  occupied  nearly  two  months, 
to  get  flour  brought  even  from  Ogdensburg.  It  would  depend  some  on  the  com¬ 
petition  between  the  routes  from  Boston  to  the  Hudson  river,  whether  a  very  large 
portion  of  the  Western  flour  on  the  way  to  Europe  could  be  diverted  to  this  port 
if  the  tunnel  should  be  built.  If  the  rates  on  the  Hudson  were  eighteen  cents  a 
barrel  from  Albany  to  New  York  he  thought  we  might  compete  equally,  but  that 
is  a  high  freight  on  the  North  River.  Vessels  could  be  freighted  from  this  port 
to  Europe  easier  than  from  New  York.  We  have  had  the  whole  trade  of  Maine 
formerly,  since  he  has  been  in  the  business,  but  we  have  now  lost  the  most 
of  it.  If  this  tunnel  should  be  completed  and  a  reduction  effected  of  from  twen¬ 
ty  to  forty-five  per  cent  on  transportation,  no  doubt  it  would  increase  and  enlarge 
trade  here.  There  is  no  reason  why  we  could  not  ship  to  Europe  in  proportion 
with  New  York,  if  flour  is  brought  to  us  as  cheap  as  it  is  carried  to  New  York. 
If  it  is  brought  here  even  a  little  higher  we  could  supply  the  Provinces  and  Maine, 
as  it  would  cost  less  to  carry  flour  to  Europe  from  here  than  from  New  York. 
Even  now  some  considerable  shipments  are  made  to  Europe  from  this  port.  A 


22 


difference  of  over  two  or  three  cents  per  barrel  in  the  cost  of  transportation  would 
be  very  important.  It  would  make  a  difference  of  2000  or  3000  dollars  a  year 
in  his  business.  The  trans-shipment  of  flour  is  a  damage.  It  injures  it  at 
least  three  cents  a  barrel,  for  cooperage,  &c. 

He  has  been  acquainted  in  Canada  West,  having  bought  flour  there  six  years 
ago.  He  paid  a  duty  on  it,  and  brought  it  into  market.  Canada  West  is  as  good 
a  flour  region  as  our  own.  Our  trade  with  them  is  increasing  very  rapidly.  This 
western  road,  now  open  to  Detroit,  goes  right  through  the  western  portion  of 
Canada.  Great  quantities  of  flour  are  shipped  on  that  road  from  all  the  way  to 
Detroit. 

If  the  western  produce  comes  here,  it  will  have  a  tendency  to  bring  trade  with 
it.  People  will  come  to  purchase  merchandise,  &c.  They  will  naturally  wish  to 
exchange,  and  buy  where  they  sell.  A  few  cents  difference  will  sometimes 
change  entirely  the  course  of  trade.  Last  fall  the  price  for  carrying  grain  from 
Ogdensburg  to  Lowell,  Manchester,  and  Nashua,  was  17  cents  per  barrel,  and  was 
raised  to  22  cents.  This  cut  dealers  off  entirely,  and  they  had  to  take  it  up  to 
these  places  from  Boston.  The  rise  completely  turned  the  trade.  One  dealer 
before  sold  on  an  average  of  300  bushels  per  day  at  Lowell,  but  the  rise  from  17 
to  22  cents  for  transportation  entirely  broke  it  up,  and  our  firm  had  to  sell  at  a 
loss  what  was  on  the  way.  Afterwards,  the  Lowrell  dealers  got  their  supplies  by 
shipping.  I  think  all  this  business  which  comes  forward  from  the  West  and  then 
goes  back,  should  be  left  on  the  road.  There  is  much  of  this  kind  of  business. 
If  the  distance  is  by  this  road  reduced  between  Troy  and  Greenfield  to  81  miles, 
and  Greenfield  is  made  the  distributing  point,  the  road  would  supply  all  the  south¬ 
ern  part  of  Vermont,  and  he  did  not  know  but  all  northern  Massachusetts,  and  the 
southern  part  of  New  Hampshire,  —  from  Walpole  down  to  Hadley  Falls,  and 
towards  Manchester,  as  well  as  along  the  route  from  Fitchburg  to  Boston.  Flour 
now  comes  to  Massachusetts  by  the  way  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  then  goes  on  to 
Haverhill,  Salem,  Portsmouth,  and  other  towns  in  that  direction.  It  may  come  as 
cheap  by  way  of  Concord,  down  as  far  as  Portsmouth,  as  it  would  by  this  new 
route.  The  facilities  are  not  now  enough  to  accommodate  the  trade  of  the  West 
with  Boston.  Traders  have  not  found  it  so  this  fall  and  winter.  There  has  been 
trouble  for  two  years  past.  Some  difficulty  is  occasioned  by  the  cold  on  the 
northern  routes.  For  two  months  last  winter,  and  a  month  or  six  weeks  already 
this  winter,  it  has  been  impossible  to  get  our  property  from  Ogdensburg. 

[Mr.  Derby  then  introduced  Mr.  George  Millard  who  was  sworn.] 

MR.  MILLARD’S  TESTIMONY. 

Is  a  resident  of  North  Adams,  and  a  Director  of  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  Rail¬ 
road.  Between  six  and  seven  miles  (not  quite  seven)  of  the  line  beyond  North 
Adams,  and  touching  the  State  line  between  Williamstown  and  Pownal  (Vermont) 
is  now  graded  and  nearly  ready  for,  the  rails.  A  section  of  six  miles  in  Vermont 
remains  to  be  constructed  over  the  interval  in  the  valley  of  the  Hoosac  River. 

Mr.  M.  referred  to  an  arrangement  by  which  the  Troy  and  Boston  Railroad 
Company  are  to  give  a  guarantee  bond  for  6  per  cent,  on  the  stock  of  this  portion 
in  Vermont,  for  twenty  years  after  it  goes  into  operation.  In  company  with  Mr. 
Crocker  he  went  to  see  them,  to  make  an  arrangement  for  completing  the  road  as 
far  as  Adams,  and  making  it  a  paying  road.  They  found  a  little  link  there  with 
a  separate  charter,  and  the  Troy  people  proposed  this  bond,  to  induce  the  people 
of  Pownal  and  others  to  take  hold  of  the  stock. 

From  that  point  there  is  seven  miles  more  in  New  York,  following  the  same 
valley  along  the  river,  and  easy  to  build.  A  fraction  of  this  is  now  in  use.  The 
Troy  and  Boston  Road  branches  off  at  the  junction  towards  Adams,  and  two  or 


23 


three  miles  of  it  is  completed,  and  is  now  run  by  horse-power.  It  is  in  the  direc¬ 
tion  of  Adams,  and  extends  to  Hoosac  Falls. 

With  regard  to  the  business  of  this  part  of  the  line-— from  North  Adams  through 
Williamstown,  and  over  this  section  —  he  had  made  an  estimate,  at  the  time, 
that  it  would  give  $10,000  a  year  to  the  stockholders  under  the  arrangement 
referred  to  by  Mr.  Crocker  with  the  Troy  and  Bosioti  Co.,  by  which  they  were 
to  run  the  road  and  keep  it  in  repair  without  charge  to  the  corporation  till  the 
tunnel  is  completed.  The  arrangement  with  the  section  in  Vermont  is  for  20 
years. 

There  is  an  offer  from  the  Vermont  and  Mass.  Railroad  Co.  to  run  that  part 
of  the  line  east  of  the  tunnel  as  many  miles  as  can  be  completed,  and  pay  the 
Troy  and  Greenfield  Co.  50  per  cent,  on  the  gross  receipts  —  50  per  cent,  of  the 
whole  income. 

The  Deerfield  valley  is  a  flourishing  region.  He  could  not  say  what  the  local 
business  would  be,  but  thought  it  must  be  considerable,  as  they  were  offered  one 
half  the  entire  income,  for  the  privilege  of  running  the  road  through  it.  They 
thought  there  was  no  risk  to  be  run  in  moving  along  with  the  road,  because  by 
these  arangements  they  would  receive  the  interest  on  every  dollar  expended,  on 
either  side  of  the  mountain.  That  is,  the  local  business  would  pay  all  the  ex¬ 
penses  of  moving  forward  with  the  road,  and  interest. 

There  is  not  now  a  suitable  depot  at  Troy  for  the  Troy  and  Boston  Road,  but 
a  splendid  and  costly  one  is  being  built,  which  will  be  completed  in  about  a 
month.  It  is  to  be  far  ahead  of  the  depot  at  Springfield,  covering  perhaps  twice 
or  three  times  as  much  ground.  Four  several  roads  are  expected  to  run  into  this 
depot.  The  arrrangement  will  be  to  run  into  Troy  by  steam-power.  They  are 
now  building  a  strong  bridge,  on  which  a  double  track  will  be  laid,  to  run  into  the 
city  by  steam-power ;  and  then  the  same  depot  is  to  accommodate  the  Hudson 
River  Railroad  to  New  York.  This  bridge  is  to  be  completed  in  about  a  fortnight. 
The  contractors  are  to  pay  a  penalty  of  $50  for  every  day  the  work  shall  be 
delayed  beyond  the  time  fixed  for  its  completion  ;  and  to  receive  a  reward  of  $40 
for  every  day  within  that  time.  They  are  also  tunnelling  in  the  lower  part  of 
Troy,  and  making  some  deep  cuts  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  good  grade 
towards  Greenbush. 

There  is  much  solicitude  in  Adams  and  Williamstown  in  regard  to  the  tunnel. 
They  are  very  anxious  indeed  to  increase  the  facilities  for  communication  with 
Boston.  If  the  tunnel  should  be  completed,  they  think  their  real  estate  would 
more  than  double  immediately.  There  is  also  much  interest  felt  in  the  West  — 
at  Sacketts  Harbor,  Oswego,  and  throughout  Central  New  York.  Whenever  he 
visits  those  regions  they  inquire,  —  “  How  comes  on  the  tunnel  ?  Have  you  made 
any  progress  ?  How  soon  are  you  going  to  build  it  ?  ”  There  is  a  deep  interest 
in  New  York  —  more  than  in  this  State.  They  say  if  we  will  only  move  the 
mountain  over  into  York  State  they  will  tunnel  it  for  us.  He  saw  a  gentleman 
from  Buffalo,  some  time  since,  who  expressed  a  deep  interest  in  relation  to  this 
subject.  He  said  he  forwarded  a  great  deal  of  freight  to  Boston,  and  was  very 
anxious  indeed  that  there  should  be  more  facilities  for,  and  less  expense  in  getting 
freight  through  to  Boston. 

There  is  some  hostility  of  feeling  in  the  West  towards  the  Western  Railroad,  in 
relation  to  the  hindrances  of  freight  at  Greenbush.  The  people  of  Albany  are 
dissatisfied;  he  had  spoken  with  gentlemen  of  Albany  and  of  Pittsfield  on  the 
subject.  The  people  of  Pittsfield  think  they  are  not  fairly  dealt  with  because 
through  freight  is  preferred  to  their  own. 

The  inhabitants  on  the  line  of  the  Western  Road  have  not  so  much  hostility 
towards  the  tunnel  as  formerly.  He  had  a  letter  from  a  member  of  the  House  last 
year  —  Mr.  N.  F.  Orcutt,  of  Cummington  —  who  voted  against  the  tunnel  loan, 


24 


and  who  now  expresses  himself  in  favor  of  the  road,  and  thinks  it  would  not  injure 
the  Western  Road  even  if  it  were  a  parallel  line. 

Mr.  Millard  then  identified  a  specimen  of  rock  on  the  table  as  having  been  t 

brought  from  the  mountain,  where  it  was  taken  from  under  the  mouth  of  the 
machine  where  the  cut  was  25  feet  deep.  He  considered  this  as  a  fair  sample 
of  the  rock  at  the  tunnel. 

A  letter  was  then  introduced  from  Mr.  Hiram  Slocum,  who  is  represented  as 
being  as  heavy  a  dealer  in  pork  and  beef  as  any  in  Troy.  Mr.  Slocum  thinks 
that  the  tunnel  would  be  an  annual  saving  of  a  half  million  to  Massachusetts,  and 
speaks  of  the  Legislature  of  New  York  as  not  only  loaning  the  credit  of  the  State 
to  projects  for  internal  improvement,  but  as  having  actually  given  to  the  Sackett’s 
Harbor  Road  250,000  acres  of  land. 

A  letter  was  also  read  from  Mann,  Vail  &  Co.,  forwarding  agents  at  Buffalo. 
They  speak  of  the  hindrances  at  Greenbush,  which  would  be  obviated  by  the 
tunnel  route.  In  relation  to  these  hindrances,  they  say  they  have  been  charged 
sometimes  five  cents  a  barrel  for  the  transit,  and  it  damaged  their  barrels  upwards 
of  one  cent  each,  on  an  average,  for  cooperage,  &c. 

Mr.  Derby  then  put  into  the  case  some  documentary  evidence  including  a 
report  of  the  proceedings  of  last  year  with  passages  marked.  The  Western  Kail- 
road,  he  said,  did  not  appear  this  year  —  but  they  did  last  —  and  he  could  not 
afford  to  part  with  them,  as  he  considered  their  evidence  and  arguments  very 
useful  to  his  clients.  He  should  therefore  submit  to  the  committee  the  printed 
report  of  the  proceedings  of  last  year,  containing  the  evidence  and  arguments  of 
the  petitioners,  and  the  evidence  and  answer  of  the  Western  Railroad,  which 
documents  he  thought  would  greatly  abbreviate  and  aid  the  labors  of  the  com¬ 
mittee.  This  document  was  then  tendered  and  distributed. 

Mr.  Derby  also  put  in  extracts  from  Hunt’s  Merchants’  Magazine  with  tables, 
showing  the  increase  of  the  exports  of  breadstuffs ;  also,  tables  showing  the  prices 
of  transportation  on  the  Hudson  River,  which  average  nine  cents  per  barrel  for 
flour.  By  the  tables  from  Hunt’s  Magazine,  it  appears  that  the  annual  increase 
of  the  exports  of  breadstuffs  from  this  country  is  very  great,  amounting  in  the 
case  of  the  port  of  New  York  alone  to  an  equivalent  of  1,500,000  barrels  of 
Hour.  The  whole  exports  from  New  York  for  fast  year  down  to  December  16th. 
were  6,714,871  bushels  of  wheat,  943,935  of  corn,  and  1,953,164  barrels  of 
flour. 

He  then  introduced  Mr.  Clapp,  of  Boston,  to  explain  some  tables  he  had  pre¬ 
pared,  and  give  other  information  to  the  Committee  having  a  bearing  on  tha 
subject.  He  had  delegated  this  duty  to  Mr.  Clapp  in  consequence  of  another  * 
hearing,  at  which  he  was  himself  compelled  to  attend,  and  which  could  not  be 
delayed.  This  he  thought  would  complete  the  evidence  for  the  petitioners  until 
after  the  visit  of  the  committee  to  the  tunnelling  machine  at  New  York,  for  which 
arrangements  had  been  made.  One  of  the  newspapers  had,  he  thought,  rather 
ungenerously  endeavored  to  convey  a  wrong  impression  as  to  the  object  of  this 
visit,  by  saying  it  was  for  the  ostensible  purpose  of  visiting  the  machine.  It  was 
not  only  for  the  44  ostensible,”  but  for  the  express  purpose  of  witnessing  the  ope-  ^ 
ration  of  this  ingenious  piece  of  mechanism,  that  the  visit  to  New  York  was 
proposed.  The  machine  is  in  successful  operation,  and,  as  the  petitioners  cannot 
bring  it  before  the  committee,  the  only  course  is  for  the  committee  to  visit  the 
machine.  Tickets  would  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  chairman  of  the  com-  * 
mittee,  on  Tuesday  morning,  and  then  it  would  be  decided  what  route  they  were 
to  take.  It  would  be  one  of  the  best  routes  to  the  city  of  New  York. 

Mr.  Derby  then  retired,  and  Mr.  Otis  Clapp,  of  Boston,  proceeded  to  address 
the  committee. 


25 


The  first  table  he  should  present  to  the  committee  was  one  relating  to  the  equip¬ 
ment  of  several  roads.  He  would  present  this  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  the 
committee  to  judge  of  the  capability  of  roads  to  do  a  certain  amount  of  business. 

Equipment  on  Railroads  compared. 


Engines. 

Pass.  Cars. 

Freight  Cars. 

Western, 

1850, 

65 

39 

856 

ti 

1851, 

65 

41 

856 

u 

1852,- 

59 

45 

856 

N.  Y.  Central, 

1852, 

145 

318  &,  baggage 

,  1,173 

Erie, 

1852, 

142 

91 

1,834 

16  2d  class. 

u 

1853, 

147  and  60 

more  engaged  to  be  ready  in 

Reading, 

1852, 

103 

5,241 

t; 

1853, 

103 

5,476 

Balt,  and  Ohio, 

1853, 

167 

3,300 

Lond.&N.  Western, 

1851, 

582 

1495 

14,747 

ft. 


“  whole  rolling  machinery,  18,359. 

Length,  with  branches,  about  600  miles. 

The  cost  of  the  rolling  machinery  of  the  Erie  road  is  83,156,033.52,  and  yet 
their  last  report  says,  “  The  constant  increase  of  the  business  of  the  road  has  al¬ 
ways  exceeded  the  capacity  to  transport.” 

Cost  of  the  rolling  machinery  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Road,  $3,013,162. 
This  road  had  1642  cars  built  to  be  in  readiness  for  their  anticipated  business  on 
their  opening. 

The  Reading  Road  has,  during  the  last  year,  disposed  of  six  old  engines,  and 
supplied  their  places  with  new  ones.  It  is  about  100  miles  long. 

lie  then  introduced  some  tables,  which  were  abstracts  from  the  “Report  of  I. 
D.  Andrews,  on  the  trade  and  commerce  of  the  British  N.  A.  Colonies,  and  upon 
the  great  lakes  and  rivers,”  &c.,  a  work  of  nearly  1000  pages,  and  abounding  in 
information  relating  to  the  resources  of  this  country,  the  Canadas,  &c. 

Value  of  the  Lake  and  River  Commerce  of  the  United  States ,  compared  with 
foreign  imports  and  exports. 

1851  —  Lake  Commerce,  $314,473,458.  Tons,  3,971,126. 

1851 — River  Commerce,  3^9,502,744.  Tons,  4,066,800. 


Total, 

Imports  for  1852, 
Exports  “  “ 


653,976,202 

$252,613,282 

192,368,984 


Total,  $444,982,266 

Excess  of  Lake  and  River  Commerce,  $208,993,936. 

The  increase  of  tonnage  on  the  Lakes  has  been  in  the  following  ratio  : 

1820,  3,500  tons. 

1830,  20,000  “ 

1840,  75,000  “ 

1850,  215,787  “ 

Mr.  Andrews  remarks,  “  It  is  for  this  wealthy  commerce  of  the  interior  that  all 
the  Atlantic  cities  are  now  striving,  in  earnest  competition,  by  the  creation  of  new 
outlets  and  avenues,  for  its  transactio  i  ;  and  this  very  competition  is  good  evidenco 
that  all  the  Eastern  or  New  England  and  Middle  States  are  in  some  sort  more  or 
less  affected  by  it.”  He  gives  a  table  to  show  “that  the  increase  of  the  popula¬ 
tion  in  the  Atlantic  States,  and  that  of  the  tonnage  of  the  West,  have  kept  pace 
with  each  other.” 


3 


26 


Superior, 

square 

Extent 

miles 

of  the  Lakes. 
32,000 

length 

355  miles 

Michigan, 

a 

tt 

22,000 

a 

320  4‘ 

Huron, 

u 

it 

20,400 

tt 

200  “ 

Erie, 

it 

ii 

9,600 

a 

240  44 

Ontario, 

it 

it 

6,300 

a 

180  4 

Total 

ii 

90,300 

Equal  to  nearly  12  times  the  extent  of  Massachusetts.  These  lakes  are  esti¬ 
mated  to  drain  an  entire  area  of  335,515  square  miles. 

Value  of  Lake  Commerce. 

Lake  Ontario  in  1851  was  $30,000,000 

“  Champlain  in  “  “  20,000,000 

“  Erie  in  44  “  209,712,529 

The  whole  traffic  of  the  five  lakes  above  named  is  estimated  by  Mr.  Andrews, 
in  1852,  at  $336,000,000,  employing  74,000  tons  steam,  and  138,000  tons  of 
sail,  an  aggregate  of  215,000  tons  burthen  ;  whereas  previous  to  1800  there  was 
scarcely  a  craft  larger  than  an  Indian  canoe. 

The  number  of  steamers,  on  lakes  Champlain,  Ontario,  Erie,  Straits,  and 
Michigan,  is  174.  In  1851,  the  average  of  v5  of  the  largest  of  these  steamers 
fell  little  short  of  1,000  tons,  while  in  1841,  the  same  average  was  449  tons,  and 
it  is  asserted  by  Mr.  A.  that  10  steamers  can  therefore  do  four  times  as  much 
business  now  as  in  1841. 

The  whole  area  of  district,  the  trade  of  which  concentrates  at  the  end  of  Erie, 
is  equal  to  330,000square  miles.  This,  with  Canada  West,  contains  from  6  to  7  mil¬ 
lions  of  inhabitants,  and  their  natural  and  animal  products  exceed  15,000,000  tons. 

A  ship  canal  is  now  chartered  by  the  State  of  New  York  to  enable  vessels  to 
pass  from  lake  Erie  to  lake  Ontario.  This  will  enable  vessels  to  pass  from  the 
upper  lakes  to  Ontario,  by  which  freight  can  be  brought  just  about  as  near  to 
Boston  as  to  New  York.  The  proposed  canal  will  be  about  9  miles  long,  while 
the  Welland  Canal  is  about  27  miles  long.  Even  this  canal  is  rapidly  turning  the 
trade  of  Erie 'into  Ontario. 


Its  tonnage  in  1850  was  399,600  tons 

“  “  44  1851  “  691,657  “ 

“  44  44  1853  44  1,050,000  44 

According  to  the  report  of  Mr.  McAlpine,  Surveyor  General  of  New  York,  the 
estimated  expense  of  carrying  1  ton  1  mile  per  canal  is  6  mills,  and  for  the  same 
on  the  lakes  2  mills.  It  is  the  opinion  of  some  experienced  engineers  and  railroad 
men,  that  railroads  can,  under  favorable  circumstances,  compete  successfully  with 
canals,  and  this  opinion  seems  to  be  confirmed  by  the  results  of  the  Reading 
Railroad.  The  actual  expense  to  them  in  1852  per  round  trip  of  190  miles  from 
coal  region  to  tide-water  and  back  with  empty  cars,  is  35  ,3¥6^  cents  per  ton,  and 
they  actually  charge  the  whole  expense  for  the  year  at  54  j604^  cents  per  ton,  or 
about  a  mill  less  than  Mr.  McAlpine’s  estimate  per  canal.  For  1853,  the 
report  of  which  is  just  received,  they  represent  the  road  as  in  an  extremely  pros¬ 
perous  condition,  and  the  cost  per  ton  per  mile  as  still  less  than  the  year  pre¬ 
vious,  viz. 

Value  of  property  sent  from  the  seaboard  to  the  interior. 


via. 

Hudson  River,  and 

via.  Mississippi  River. 

1851 

$80,739,899 

$38,874,*/ 82 

1850 

74,826,999 

33,667,325 

1849 

78,481,941 

30,152,091 

1845 

55,453,998 

21,035,030 

1841 

56,798,447 

30,768,906 

27 


From  this  it  appears  that  the  increase  in  10  years,  via  Hudson,  is  $23,941,452, 
while  via  Mississippi,  the  increase  is  but  $8,105,816. 

The  following  table  is  introduced  to  show  what  cities  have  loaned  their  credit, 
for  the  purpose  of  aiding  internal  improvements  for  their  own  benefit,  and  the 
sums  so  loaned. 


City  Debts  for  Railroads . 


Philadelphia, 

Pittsburg  and  Allegh.  Co. 
Wheeling  and  Ohio,  Co. 
Baltimore, 

St.  Louis, 


[From  the  N.  Y  Railroad  Record  ] 


$3,150,500 

3,450,000 

1,100,000 

7,800,000 

2,400,000 


Cincinnati, 
Louisville, 
New  Orleans, 
Covington, 


1,650,000 

1,500,000 

3,500,000 

200,000 


Since  this  was  published,  the  City  Council  of  Philadelphia  have  voted  to  loan 
the  credit  of  that  city  to  the  Sunbury  and  Erie  Railroad,  for  $3,000,000. 

The  City  Council  of  Baltimore  have  also  voted  to  guarantee  the  bonds  of  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  to  the  amount  of  $5,000,000,  in  addition  to  the 
sums  named  above. 

Portland  has  now  a  rival  road  to  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  West,  carried 
through  by  the  aid  which  she  afforded  in  loaning  her  credit. 


Tuesday,  Feb .  14 tli,  1854. 

Several  witnesses  were  then  sworn,  and  Mr.  James  Hayward,  who  is  President 
of  the  Boston  and  Maine  Railroad,  was  first  examined. 

MR.  HAYWARD'S  TESTIMONY. 

Pie  testified  in  this  case  last  year,  and  having  read  the  printed  report  of  his 
testimony  (in  the  hands  of  the  committee)  found  it  to  be  substantially  correct. 
Had  discovered  no  instance  where  it  misrepresents  his  statements.  He  testified 
last  year  that  he  had  passed  through  the  large  tunnel  near  Marseilles,  called  the 
Nerthe  Tunnel,  and  gave  certain  statistics  in  regard  to  that  work.  On  that  occa¬ 
sion  he  spent  two  or  three  days  with  the  engineer  of  that  tunnel,  and  learned 
from  him  the  facts  to  which  he  had  testified.  A  profile  view  of  that  tunnel  was 
exhibited  last  year.  There  are  twenty-six  shafts,  the  deepest  of  which  is  over 
six  hundred  feet.  He  had  made  inquiries  with  regard  to  the  tunnelling  of  the 
Alps,  and  had  examined  the  report  of  Chevalier  Maus  on  the  subject.  That  tun¬ 
nel  was  to  be  excavated  entirely  without  shafts,  the  work  to  be  carried  on  by 
means  of  machinery  carried  by  water  power  at  each  end.  A  stream  of  water 
passes  at  each  end  of  the  proposed  tunnel,  and  the  power  will  be  carried  to  the 
place  where  the  work  is  to  be  done  by  an  endless  rope.  The  whole  distance 
through  is  about  7§  miles;  and  it  is  proposed  to  carry  the  power  in  this  way  from 
each  end  to  the  centre  ;  thinks  there  is  no  difficulty  in  carrying  power  in  this 
way  ;  it  is  so  carried  in  practice  abroad.  It  is  carried  a  great  distance,  but  could 
not  now  recollect  the  greatest  distance.  Had  seen  several  inclined  planes  on 
railroads  worked  by  this  endless  rope. 

Mr.  Derby  suggested  that  this  power  was  successfully  used  on  Atmospheric  Rail¬ 
ways  at  a  distance  from  the  engine,  one  of  these  railways  being  still  in  operation 
near  Dublin  ;  but  the  witness  was  not  familiar  with  these  railways. 

He  had  no  doubt  of  the  entire  practicability  of  carrying  power  to  a  great  dis¬ 
tance.  Nothing  has  occurred  since  the  hearing  of  last  year  to  shake  his  belief 
in  the  practicability  of  constructing  the  Hoosac  Tunnel.  Had  not  measured  the 
distance  to  which  power  had  been  carried  by  the  endless  rope,  but  according  to 
the  report  of  Chevalier  Maus,  it  is  to  go  between  three  and  four  miles  in  the 
tunnel  through  the  Alps;  and,  from  his  knowlege  of  mechanics,  he  had  no  idea 
that  there  would  be  any  difficulty  in  accomplishing  this.  There  are  several  rail¬ 
roads  worked  by  this  means,  a  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  quarter.  The  Black- 


28 


wall  Railroad,  in  London,  extending  several  miles  from  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Bank  to  Blackwall  and  down  to  the  docks,  has  been  worked  for  a  series  of  years 
by  a  stationary  power  and  the  endless  rope. 

Doct.  James  E.  Bartlett,  of  Somerville,  was  the  next  witness  who  introduced 
and  explained  a  plan  of  contemplated  wharf  improvements  in  Charlestown,  on 
the  north  side  of  Chelsea  bridge,  and  which  have  already  been  chartered  by 
the  legislature.  These  improvements  consist  of  two  long  ranges  of  wharves, 
one  opening  into  the  centre  channel  of  the  Mystic  River,  and  the  other  into  the 
inner  channel  next  to  Charlestown.  It  is  proposed  to  convert  the  inner  chan¬ 
nel  into  a  large  basin,  with  tidal  gates  at  the  entrance,  south  of  the  bridge.  The 
water  would  be  at  all  times  from  twenty-two  to  twenty-five  feet  in  depth  within 
the  basin.  A  railroad  is  to  be  run  between  the  ranges  of  wharves,  and  on  the 
wharves,  where  will  be  large  store-houses  erected.  The  railroad  will  connect 
with  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  by  means  of  the  Grand  Junction  Railway.  There 
will  be  15,000  feet  of  wharf  frontage  inside  of  the  tidal  basin,  and  7500  outside, 
equal  in  all  to  nearly  4J-  miles,  and  eighty  ships  of  the  largest  size  could  load  at 
once.  These  facilities  will  be  sufficient  to  accommodate  all  the  freight  for  export 
that  can  be  brought  from  the  West  over  the  tunnel,  or  any  other  route.  This  basin 
is  now  from  10  to  25  feet  in  depth. 

This  plan  was  then  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  chairman  of  the  committee. 

Mr.  Otis  Clapp,  of  Boston,  was  recalled  to  give  some  additional  facts  in  regard 
to  the  tunnel  at  Cincinnati.  He  saw  a  friend  from  Cincinnati  a  few  weeks  ago, 
and  had  a  conversation  with  him  in  regard  to  the  tunnel.  This  gentleman  told 
him  that  he  was  acquainted  with  all  the  parties  interested,  and  if  he,  (Mr.  C.) 
wanted  to  obtain  information  on  the  subject,  he  was  the  one  to  apply  to  for  it.  Sub¬ 
sequently,  Mr.  Clapp  wrote  to  this  gentleman  for  exact  information  as  to  its  progress 
up  to  that  time,  telling  him  that  he  understood  the  opponents  of  the  Iloosac  Tun¬ 
nel  had  sent  on  an  agent  to  get  information.  In  reply,  he  had  received  two  letters, 
the  last  of  which  is  as  follows : 

Otis  Clapp,  Esq.  Cincinnati,  Feb.  4,  1854. 

Dear  Sir ,  —  On  the  presumption  that  Mr.  Sever  was  the  person  you  alluded 
to  as  having  been  sent  out  by  your  opponents,  my  friend,  E.  Gest,  has  taken  the 
trouble  to  have  copies  made  of  all  the  documents  furnished  him,  which  you  can 
make  any  use  of  you  think  proper.  This  information  was  given  him  at  some 
trouble,  being  favorably  introduced,  and  leaving  the  impression  that  he  was  work¬ 
ing  in  favor  of  your  project.  Yours  respectfully, 

Geo.  Escol  Sellers. 

To  James  W.  Sever,  Cincinnati ,  November  20,  1853. 

Dear  Sir ,  —  In  reply  to  your  interrogations  in  reference  to  the  tunnel  now 
constructing  by  the  Dayton  and  Cincinnati  (short  line)  Railroad  Co.,  in  the  north¬ 
eastern  part  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  I  respectfully  submit  the  following. 

The  length  of  the  tunnel  proper  is  7903  feet. 

Length  of  cut  at  south  approach  is  850  feet ;  depth  of  cut  at  breast,  50  feet. 

Length  of  cut  at  north  approach  is  900  feet ;  depth  of  cut  at  breast,  55  feet. 

The  nature  of  the  soil  or  overlay  is  common  earth,  clay  and  gray  marl,  under¬ 
laid  with  blue  marl  and  fossiliferous  limestone,  lying  in  strata. 

For  cross  section,  see  diagram  “  A,”  which  represents  it  in  detail.  Total  width 
of  excavation,  29  feet;  height,  22£  feet. 

The  tunnel  lies  in  a  north-easterly  and  south-westerly  direction.  Its  axial  line 
is  straight,  with  an  inclination  rising  from  the  city  —  or  in  a  north-easterly  direc¬ 
tion  of  39^  feet  per  mile. 

The  greatest  depth  below  surface  to  grade  is  238  feet.  For  profile,  position  of 
shafts,  &c.,  see  diagram  “B.” 

The  geological  formation  is  what  is  termed  the  blue  limestone ;  and  the  par- 


29 


ticular  hill  through  which  the  tunnel  is  being  constructed,  is  composed  of  layers 
of  limestone  and  indurated  marl,  lying  nearly  or  quite  horizontal.  At  the  level 
»  of  the  tunnel,  which  is  near  what  may  be  termed  the  base  of  the  hill,  the  marl 
largely  predominates ;  and  in  the  height  of  the  tunnel  (22  feet)  only  three  layers 
of  limestone  occur,  one  about  six  inches  thick,  one  eight,  and  another  ten  inches, 
separated  from  each  other  by  layers  of  marl  from  six  to  eight  feet  thick.  These 
strata  are  consequently  cut  at  an  angle,  owing  to  the  grade  of  the  tunnel,  ascend¬ 
ing  as  heretofore  stated. 

There  is  not  enough  water  found,  either  in  drafts  or  shafts,  to  supply  the 
drills,  which  is  owing  to  the  compactness  of  the  marl,  and  the  seams  all  being 
level  or  nearly  so ;  consequently  the  water  cannot  and  does  not  penetrate  below 
the  surface  more  than  30  to  50  feet.  Water  for  wells  is  procured  by  excavating 
some  thirty  feet,  but  in  limited  quantities  —  generally  mere  percolations.  In  our 
entire  excavations,  we  have  encountered  only  two  springs,  one  in  the  north 
approach,  the  other  in  the  first  shaft,  both,  however,  within  ten  or  twelve  feet  of 
the  surface.  Neither  occasioned  any  inconvenience.  The  one  in  the  shaft  was 
**  disposed  of  by  connecting  the  natural  orifice  with  a  lead  pipe,  and  thus  artificially 
restoring  its  channel ;  the  other  was  easily  drained  through  the  approach.  Another 
peculiarity  is  the  absence  in  a  great  measure  of  carbonic  acid  or  other  noxious 
gas.  This  is  probably  owing  to  its  existence  in  large  quantities  in  a  fixed  state  ; 
the  limestone  being  composed  of  nearly  45  per  cent,  of  carbonic  acid,  neutralizes 
it  as  a  fluid. 

No  other  material  than  the  marl  or  rock  has  been  found,  and  all  apprehensions 
of  a  change  of  material  are  removed. 

Ground  was  broken  at  shaft  No.  2,  Dec.  16th,  1852  ;  at  shaft  No.  1,  and  at 
north  approach,  Dec.  20th;  at  shaft  No.  3,  Feb.  15th,  1853,  and  at  south 
approach,  April  10th.  All  the  shafts  were  completed  to  the  level  of  the  crown 
of  the  arch  between  June  5th  and  20th. 


North  heading  commenced 
At  shaft  No.  1,  heading  begun 

u  u  ^  u 

U  U  0  u 

South  heading  M 


April  28. 
June  20 

ti  u 

u  «c 

July  20 


Amount  done  Nov.  20,  368  feet. 


u 

u 

a 


“  336  “ 

“  336  “ 

“  300  “ 

“  268  “ 


Total  heading  done,  Nov.  20,  1608  feet, 

that  is,  the  heading  is  over  one  fifth  done. 

Total  length  of  south  approach,  all  of  which  is  to  be  walled  and  arched,  1525  feet, 
do.  north  approach,  do.  do.  583  “ 


Total  of  arched  approaches, 
Between  approaches, 


2108  “ 
7903  “ 


Total  length  of  tunnel,  10,011  feet, 
or  nearly  ly9^  miles,  —  of  which  the  approaches  will  be  arched  with  stone,  and 
the  perforated  or  intermediate  section  with  brick.  Nearly  all  the  excavation  and 
about  three-quarters  of  the  masonry  in  south  approach  is  done,  and  about  500 
feet  of  it  finished,  being  arched  and  covered  up.  All  the  excavations  and  the 
side  walls  of  the  north  approach  have  been  completed,  —  only  the  arch  remaining 
4  undone. 

Besides  the  heading  enumerated,  about  550  feet  of  the  ledge  has  been  com¬ 
pleted.  The  entire  tunnel  will  be  arched.  The  brick  arch  was  only  recently 
begun,  and  only  45  feet  of  it  has  been  done,  which,  with  the  5J0  feet  of  approach 
•  finished,  makes  .545  feet  of  the  tunnel  entirely  finished. 

The  shafts  are  three  in  number,  (see  diagram  u  B,1’)  and  are  respectively  199, 
3* 


/ 


30 


194,  and  152  feet  deep  to  the  floor  of  tunnel.  They  are  elliptical,  the  transverse 
axis  20  feet,  the  conjugate  12  feet  —  the  transverse  lying  with  the  line  of  road. 
Except  the  upper  15  feet,  are  through  marl  and  rock  of  similar  quality  to  that 
at  level  of  tunnel.  At  each  shaft  and  end  there  is  a  steam-engine  of  about  15 
horse  power;  with  the  exception  of  that  at  the  south  end,  they  raise  the  material 
vertically,  and  are  rigged  with  double  buckets,  one  descending  as  the  other 
ascends.  Each  bucket  holds  about  two-thirds  or  three-quarters  of  a  yard.  At 
the  south  end  the  material  is  drawn  out  in  cars,  on  an  inclined  plane.  At  each 
shaft  and  end  is  a  fan  to  clear  the  drifts  of  smoke,  &c.,  and  driven  with  a  small 


independent  engine. 

The  present  estimate  of  tunnel,  as 
South  approach, 

Shafts, 

Body  of  Tunnel, 

North  approach, 

near  as  can  be  estimated,  is  as  follows 

$75,000 

21,000 

645,000 

32,000 

Total,  $773,000 

equal  to  $72.20  per  lineal  foot. 


It  is  nearly  impossible  to  arrive  at  a  fair  comparison  with  the  former  estimates, 
since  the  tunnel  as  now  constructing  is  in  a  different  position,  as  to  elevation  and 
location,  from  that  reported  in  the  printed  or  original  report  of  January,  1852; 
nor  with  the  estimate  made  in  September  of  the  same  year,  as  the  tunnel  and 
approaches  were  subsequently  lengthened  750  feet,  since  which  no  estimate  has 
been  made,  excepting  the  one  to  answer  your  interrogatory.  The  depression  and 
elongation  had  the  effect  of  increasing,  more  than  proportionally,  the  cost  of 
working. 


Original  tunnel, 

Length. 

7,700  ft. 

Total  cost. 

$412,178 

Cost  per  ft. 

$o4 

Estimated  tunnel  of  September, 

9,250  41 

563,349 

61 

Estimate  for  Mr.  Sever, 

10,011  44 

773,000 

77 

The  latter  elongation  became  necessary,  from  a  supposed  corresponding  les¬ 
sening  of  the  expense  for  right  of  way  ;  also  from  the  fact  that  the  city  elevated 
the  grade  of  the  streets  on  each  side  of  the  approach,  much  above  the  present 
improved  streets. 

Subsequently  to  the  September  estimate  and  about  the  time  the  work  was  let, 
commenced  the  rise  in  labor,  material  and  provision,  and  the  difference  between 
the  present  estimate  and  the  former  is  not  probably  greater  in  proportion  than  the 
difference  in  cost  of  such  articles  at  this  time  and  at  the  former  period. 

The  original  contract  prices  are  as  follows  : 


Excavation  in  tunnel  proper,  $2.20  per  cubic  yard. 


44  44  surface  shafts, 

1  50  44 

it 

It 

44  44  under  44 

3.00  44 

it 

ti 

Earth,  clay  and  gray  marl  in  approaches, 

50  44 

tt 

It 

Indurated  marl  and  rock, 

70  44 

tt 

It 

Packing  over  arch, 

1.00  44 

tl 

it 

Masonry  in  lining  shafts, 

3.00  per  perch. 

44  44  side  walls  and  arch  of  approaches,  3.50  44  44 

Brick  in  arch  of  tunnel,  in  cement,  11.50  per  thousand. 

Nothing  was  to  be  allowed  to  the  contractors  for  timbering,  or  for  any  excess 
taken  out  from  beyond  the  regular  lines  —  they  running  risk  of  caves,  careless¬ 
ness,  &c. 

About  the  first  of  October,  of  this  year,  a  modification  was  made  in  the  contract 
by  mutual  agreement,  whereby  an  allowance  was  made  to  the  contractors  of 
$40,000  for  all  timber,  or  other  lumber  that  had  been  or  might  be  used  during 
the  construction  of  the  work  ;  the  company  also  to  pay  for  any  excess  taken  out 


31 


beyond  the  regular  lines  in  drifting,  —  also,  an  addition  of  $1-t5tj°u  to  the  price  per 
perch  of  masonry,  the  other  items  in  the  contract  remaining  the  same. 

The  prices,  from  actual  working,  are  now  known  to  be  fairly  remunerative  if  the 
work  is  prosecuted  with  reasonable  skill  and  energy.  During  eleven  weeks, 
commencing  August  15th,  and  ending  October  29th,  an  accurate  account  of  the 
labor,  &c  was  kept  in  the  mining  department,  when  8588  cubic  yards  of  heading 
was  removed  at  the  cost  of  $2.20^  per  cubic  yard,  and  6046  cubic  yard  ledge  at 
the  cost  of  $.22r7^  per  cubic  yard.  Total  amount  removed,  14,634  cubic  yards, 
at  an  average  cost  of  $1.82T5^  per  cubic  yard  —  whence  it  will  be  seen,  that  when 
the  ledge  and  heading  is  completed,  there  being  over  two  cubic  yards  of  the  for¬ 
mer  to  one  of  the  latter,  that  the  average  cost  per  cubic  yard  of  excavation  in  body 
of  tunnel,  will  be  not  far  from  81.50,  showing  a  profit  of  70  cts.  per  cubic  yard, 
or  $15.T4j£j  per  lineal  foot  on  tunnel  proper. 

The  contract  was  entered  into  Dec.  10,  1852,  and  was  to  have  been  completed 
by  the  20th  of  October,  1854.  At  no  time  has  there  been  more  than  half  a  force 
employed,  and  now  only  one-third  of  a  full  force  is  engaged  on  its  construction 
—  owing  partly  to  a  scarcity  of  miners  and  common  laborers,  without  which  it  is 
impossible  to  proceed  with  the  maximum  degree  of  rapidity.  The  working  here¬ 
tofore  indicates  the  practicability  of-  advancing  the  heading  at  least  2£  feet  in 
twenty-four  hours,  or  with  operations  at  the  eight  points,  a  total  of  twenty  feet  in 
twenty-four  hours,  or  the  entire  length  in  twenty  months.  The  arching  and  ledge 
would  necessarily  lay  back  of  the  drifting  about  three  months,  —  consequently  the 
whole  could  be  done  in  less  than  two  years. 

The  Ohio  river  is  bound  on  either  side  by  a  rough,  broken  country,  whose  more 
elevated  portions  or  hills  vary  in  height  from  300  to  500  feet.  At  this  point  they 
are  about  400  feet  above  low  water.  Cincinnati  is  built  upon  two  natural  terraces; 
the  lower  one  forms  the  river  bank,  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide,  and  sixty 
feet  above  low  water,  —  that  is,  it  is  about  .three  feet  below  the  extreme  flood  line  ; 
the  upper  terrace  is  about  110  feet  above  low  water,  or  fifty  feet  above  the  first, 
with  an  average  width  of  one  mile.  The  rear  or  outer  line  of  this  terrace  is  the 
base  of  the  hills,  which  for  a  distance  of  two  miles  along  the  river  bank  thus  recede 
from  the  water,  and  form  the  two  planes  or  terraces  above  described.  This  range 
of  hills  bounding  the  river,  is  only  broken  through  at  intervals  of  many  miles  by 
the  valleys  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Ohio;  and  at  Cincinnati,  and  only  one  point, 
by  the  valley  of  Mill  Creek,  and  that  too  at  the  extreme  western  border  of  the  city, 
one  and  a  half  miles  away  from  its  commercial  or  great  business  mart.  About  six 
miles  from  Cincinnati,  the  range  is  broken  by  the  Little  Miami  River,  and  twenty 
miles  west  by  the  Great  Miami.  It  will  hence  be  seen,  that  Cincinnati  can  be 
reached  from  the  north  and  north-east  only  by  the  Valley  of  Mill  Creek  or  of  the 
Little  Miami  ;  but  the  roads  following  them  to  their  mouths  are  necessarily  owing 
to  their  circuitous  course  much  longer  than  air  lines.  The  Mill  Creek  Valley  en¬ 
circles  the  west  and  north  sides  of  Cincinnati,  and  the  hills  alluded  to  form  a 
tongue  or  high  range  of  land  along  the  northern  side  of  the  city  ;  to  break  through 
this  ridge  and  arrive  directly  at  its  business  heart,  is  the  object  of  this  tunnel,  as 
well  as  to  afford  a  much  shorter  railway  connection  with  all  points  north-west, 
north,  or  north-east,  than  any  oiher  yet  established.  And  so  effectually  does  it 
attain  it,  that  the  distance  saved  by  the  Dayton  and  Cincinnati  road  and  its  con¬ 
necting  branches,  over  either  of  the  finished  roads,  is  from  seven  to  twelve  miles 
for  all  points  beyond  fifty  miles  from  Cincinnati,  and  proportionally  for  interme¬ 
diate  points. 

In  the  printed  specifications  you  will  find  the  working  detail  for  the  construction 
of  the  road. 


Very  respectfully, 


E.  Gest. 


To  James  W.  Sever, 


Cincinnati,  Jan.  Ibth,  1854. 


Shakt 

Berlin 

February  1 

March  1 

1  April  1 . 

|  May  1 

June  1 

Computed 

N^  l. 
No.  2. 
No.  3. 

Jan.  1.-53 
ec.  1852 
Feb.  1853 

;0  Feet  deep| 
23  44  “ 

40  Ft.  deep 
40  “  44  | 
1  0  44  “  1 

77  Ft.  deep'132  Ft.  deep 
77  “  44  130  “  “ 

35  44  “  1  70  “  44 

165  Ft.  deep 
17  0  44  “ 

108  4  4  44 

June. 

June. 

June. 

Showing  that  the  least  month’s  work  was  17  feet,  and  was  when  nearest  the 
surface, —  the  greatest  month’s  work  was  55  feet. 

The  material  in  the  shafts  (with  the  exception  of  12  or  15  feet  at  surface, 
which  was  yellow  clay  and  soil)  was  similar  to  that  taken  from  the  main  body  of 
the  tunnel  when  you  visited  it,  viz.  —  indurated  blue  marl  with  a  few  layers  of  stone. 

The  following  is  the  cost  per  cubic  yard  for  excavating  shafts  during  April  and 
May,  with  an  allowance  of  $8.50  per  day  for  wear  and  tear  of  engines,  ropes, 
tolls,  water,  oil,  fuel,  candles,  and  blacksmith’s  —  work  24  hours  are  rated  as 
a  day. 

Shaft  No.  1 

Was  sunk  87J  feet  in  52  days  from  a  point  90  feet  below  surface  —  or  13  ^ 


cubic  yard,  material  removed  per  day. 

Cost  of  force,  all  kinds  employed  about  it  and  in  attending 

Engine,  per  cubic  yard,  .  .  .  .  $2.58 

Cost  proportionate  per  yard  of  the  $8.50,  .  .  61 

44  of  powder,  .....  15 


Total  cost  per  yard,  $3.34 

Shaft  No.  2 

Was  sunk  89  feet,  from  a  point  85  feet  below  surface.  Time  52  days  —  or 
14  cubic  yard,  material  per  day  removed. 

Cost  of  force  —  all  kinds  ....  $2.34 

44  44  other  charges,  .  .  .  60 

44  44  powder,  .....  15 


Shaft  No.  3 


$3.09 


Was  sunk  73  feet  from  a  point  45  feet  below  surface —  11  T7?  cubic  yards 
of  material  removed  per  day. 

Cost  of  force  of  all  kinds,  ....  $2.23 

4  4  44  other  charges,  .  .  .  .  .73 

44  44  powder,  .  .  .  .  .  15 


Cost  per  cubic  yard  in  shaft  1, 

It  tt  tt  It  It  t(  2 

tt  tt  tt  tt  tt  <t  3^ 

44  44  44  44  on  average, 


$3.34 

3.09 

3.11 


$3.11 


Each  day  of  24  hours  is  divided  into  two  shifts,  and  each  shift  works  11  hours. 
When  full  handed  there  worked  in  each  pit  8  miners,  3  breakers  and  1  fore¬ 
man  ;  at  the  surface  1  engine  driver,  3  men  at  mouth,  or  dumper  —  a  total  of 
16  men  per  shift. 

Engine  men,  ....  $35  to  $40  per  month 

Foreman,  ....  $50  4  4  44 

Men  in  pit,  .....  $1.25  per  day 

44  at  surface,  ....  1.00  4  4  44 


33 


There  would  have  been  no  difficulty  in  sinking  the  shafts  at  the  rate  of  3£ 
feet  per  day  of  24  hours,  had  they  been  worked  with  regularity,  full  handed  and 
*  systematically,  which  would  have  reduced  the  cost  per  cubic  yard  materially,  as 
the  expense  of  engine  men  at  the  mouth  of  the  pit,  and  foreman,  would  have 
been  no  greater  than  it  was,  while  more  work  would  have  been  done. 

Shafts  of  double  the  depth  of  ours  would  cost  the  same  per  yard  for  labor, 
lights,  &c. —  the  only  extra  expense  would  be  for  additional  fuel,  water  and  oil 
for  engine,  wear  and  tear  of  rope,  provided  it  be  a  dry  shaft.  If  water  be  en¬ 
countered,  the  cost  of  its  removal  would  be  materially  increased  as  the  shaft 
descends.  The  expulsion  of  much  foul  air  would  also  increase  the  cost  somewhat. 

I  should  not  feel  safe  in  sinking  shafts  to  twice  the  depth  of  ours  of  less  dimen¬ 
sions  than  20  by  12  feet,  unless  I  was  certain  of  not  being  troubled  with  water 
and  foul  air.  Had  I  to  sink  our  shaft  over  again,  I  would  make  them  with  the  same 
transverse  axis  20  feet,  but  only  10  feet  wide,  which  would  involve  the  necessity 
of  running  the  buckets  during  the  sinking  of  the  shaft  fore  and  aft,  after  which 
they  could  be  changed  to  abreast,  by  running  them  in  guides  or  tubes,  which 
should  be  done  in  all  cases.  I  consider  the  length  not  only  essential  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  insuring  accuracy  in  the  transfer  of  the  lines  from  the  surface  to  the 
tunnel,  but  necessary,  should  much  water  and  foul  air  be  encountered. 

By  reference  to  the  Scientific  American  for  Oct.  23,  1852,  last  page,  you  will 
see  a  mode  for  hoisting,  which  I  think  could  be  modified,  so  as  to  be  made  decid¬ 
edly  preferable  to  any  other  mode,  and  should  it  succeed,  the  shaft  might  be 
reduced  to  six  feet  in  width,  and  increased  in  length  to  24  feet. 

On  the  1st  of  January, 

The  heading  removed  was  .  .  .  2118  lineal  feet. 

“  ledge  “  equal  to  about  .  .  .  725  “  “ 

During  the  month  of  December  I  succeeded  in  having  full  gangs  worked  in 
two  different  headings  and  one  ledge,  and  the  result  was  that  each  of  the  headings 
was  advanced  89  feet,  and  the  ledge  90  feet.  From  which  you  can  judge  what 
could  be  done  with  a  full  force  at  work  at  all  points  at  the  same  time. 

Very  respectfully,  E.  Gest. 

To  Geo.  E.  Sellers.  Cincinnati ,  Feb.  2d ,  1853. 

Dear  Sir,  —  The  foregoing  is  a  copy  of  the  information  furnished  James  W. 
Sever,  which  1  suppose  will  furnish  all  the  information  you  desire. 

I  am  yours,  &,c.  E.  Gest. 

Mr.  Derby  remarked  that  these  documents  had  been  prepared  with  very  great 
care,  and  showed  a  great  many  items  of  expense  which  will  be  entirely  dispensed 
with  in  building  the  Hoosac  Tunnel. 

Mr.  Clapp  was  then  called  up  to  give  some  account  of  the  London,  and  other 
docks,  as  compared  with  the  Mystic  River  docks  at  Charlestown. 

The  docks  of  London  are  six  or  eight  in  number,  and  are  on  a  vast  and  expen¬ 
sive  scale.  Their  object  is  to  accommodate  the  shipping,  which,  if  confined  to 
the  wharves  on  the  river,  would  completely  blockade  the  passage.  They  are 
therefore  excavated  on  the  sides  of  the  river,  with  channels  leading  into  it. 

The  West  India  Docks  were  incorporated  in  1799,  and  cover  59  acres,  and  will 
hold  600  vessels.  The  capital  stock  is  <£1,200,000,  or  $6,000,000. 

The  London  Docks  were  incorporated  in  1800,  and  cover  23  acres.  Capital, 
%  £3,200,000,  or,  $17,000,000,  of  which  over  $3,500,000  were  paid  for  land 

damages. 

The  East  India  Docks  were  incorporated  in  1829,  and  cover  30  acres.  Capital 
f  stock,  £600,000,  or  $3,000,000. 

The  St.  Catherine  Docks  were  incorporated  in  1824,  and  cover  14  acres.  Cap¬ 
ital  stock,  £2,152,800,  or  $10,764,000.  In  1830,  893  ships  loaded  and  unloaded 


34 


with  141,751  tons.  The  walls  are  36  feet  high,  and  the  piles  are  driven  15  feet 
below  them. 

The  water  area  of  the  various  London  docks  is  188  acres.  Capital  stock, 
$42,000,000. 

A  dock  at  Kingston  was  begun  in  1774.  It  covers  10  acres,  and  holds  100 
vessels.  The  excavation  was  19  feet  deep,  and  amounted  to  300,000  cubic  yards. 

The  Docks  at  Liverpool ,  I  am  informed,  are  nearly  the  same  in  extent  as  those 
in  London. 

\  A  letter  has  just  been  sent  me,  making  the  following  comparison  between  the 
Atlantic  Dock,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  with  the  Mystic  River  Dock : 


Frontage.  Water  area. 


Atlantic,  1^  miles.  45  acres. 
Mystic,  3  44  37  “ 


Vessels  alongside 
wharves. 


30 

80 


Vessels  in 
open  space. 


50 

75 


Depth  of  water. 

25  to  30  feet. 
18  44  25  44 


\ 


Tonnage,  Revenue,  and  Value  of  Commerce ,  on  the  New  York  Canals. 


1848, 

Revenue. 

3,204,070 

Tons. 

1,447,905 

Value. 

50,888,907 

1849, 

3,442,906 

1,579,946 

52,375,521 

1850, 

3,486,172 

2,033,863 

55,474,637 

1851, 

3,179,145 

1,977,151 

58,927,508 

1852, 

3,168,546 

>  2,234,822 

'66,893,102 

Receipts  of  the  three  lines  of  Railroads ,  Erie,  Central,  and  Ogdenshurg,  width 

compete  with  the  Canals. 

Freight. 


Passengers. 

12,386,023.54 

3,412,052.28 

3,825,700.56 


Total. 

,122,432.73  $3,408,456.27 

2,102,453.04  5,514,505.32 

3,336,260.80  7,191,981.36 

i  Estimated  by  the  )  10,000,000 

(  Canal  Auditor,  )  12,000,000 

be  seen  that  while  the  Canal  revenue  remains  <£om* 
paratively  stationary,  the  increase  on  the  railroads  in  both  passengers  and  freight 
is  enormous. 


1850, 

1851, 

1852, 

1853, 

1654, 

me 

From  these  tables  it  w 


The  receipts  of  the  Erie  Road  for  1853  were  $4,800,000,  an  increase  of  more 
than  $1,100,000  over  1852,  and  they  estimate  the  amount  for  1854  at  5J  millions 
of  dollars. 


The  increase  of  the  Central  Road  was  $538,841  in  five  months,  or  an  average 
of  $107,768  per  month. 

Mr.  Clapp  then  read  a  few  extracts  from  the  Erie  Railroad  Report  for  1853, 
which  Report,  he  said,  gave  a  history  of  the  construction,  prospects,  connections, 
&,c.,  of  that  road,  going  over  the  whole  ground,  and  presents  facts  equally  appli¬ 
cable  to  this  region  as  to  theirs. 

The  extract  is  as  follows : 


44  The  trade  between  the  Atlantic  sea-board  and  that  fertile  region  of  the  great 
West,  which  lies  north  of  the  Ohio,  is  already  taxing  the  existing  channels  of  com¬ 
merce  to  their  utmost  capacity. 

44  The  annual  agricultural  and  animal  productions  of  this  region,  exceed  twenty 
millions  of  tons  ;  and  its  surplus  products,  requiring  transport  to  an  Atlantic  mar-  • 
ket,  together  with  the  return  freight,  is  believed  to  be  over  fve  millions  of  tons. 

The  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  Canals  and  Railroads  now  convey  about  three 
millions  of  tons  of  this  trade  annually. 

44  Enlarged  channels,  for  this  vast  internal  commerce,  have  become  indispensa-  * 
ble.  The  State  of  New  York  has  already  taken  steps  to  complete  the  enlargement 


35 


of  the  main  artery  ;  but  before  this  is  accomplished,  the  State  and  private  works 
already  constructed,  will  be  found  inadequate. 

*  N  “  When  the  Erie  Canal  is  enlarged,  the  increased  facilities  and  diminished  cost 
of  transport,  which  it  will  afford,  will  vastly  increase  the  trade  through  this  State, 
and  will,  by  these  means,  also  correspondingly  increase  the  travel  which  must  pass 
over  the  main  lines  of  railroads. 

“  Those  articles  of  freight  which  require,  or  will  hear  the  expense  of  railroad 
transport,  will  also  be  increased  to  an  extent  that  will* tax  to  their  full  capacity  all 
the  railroads  now  built  between  the  Atlantic  and  the  West. 

“  West  of  the  Mississippi  there  are  not  now  one  hundred  miles  of  railroad  in 
operation. 

“  The  well-informed  men  of  that  region  confidently  assert,  that  within  ten  years, 
they  will  construct  more  than  five  thousand  miles. 

“  Railroads  are  rapidly  taking  the  place  of  the  common  highways  of  the 
country,  and  especially  through  the  Western  States,  where  the  soil,  so  admirably 
adapted  for  agricultural  purposes,  for  that  reason,  is  generally  unfitted  for  the  con¬ 
struction  of  even  passable  turnpikes. 

“  The  high  value  of  the  time  of  the  traveller  in  this  country,  and  the  circum¬ 
stances  before  stated,  have  rendered  the  railroad  an  element  of  necessity.  The 
passenger  by  railroad,  travels  six  times  the  distance  per  day  that  he  does  by  stage 
coach.  The  average  value  of  the  daily  time  of  railroad  travellers,  is  not  less  than 
two  dollars  per  day.  The  saving  is  therefore  ten  dollars  a  day  on  each,  which 
applied  to  the  whole  railroad  travel  of  the  United  States,  would  be  sufficient  to  pay 
the  interest  on  the  cost  of  all  the  Railroads  that  have  been  built  in  the  Union. 

“Railroads  have  penetrated  regions  which  were  inaccessible  to  canals,  and  by 
cheapening  the  cost  of  transport,  have  increased  the  value  of  the  adjacent  property 
j  equal  to  their  cost. 

“The  difference  in  the  cost  of  transport  of  agricultural  products,  saved  by  rail, 
over  the  common  highway,  is  equivalent  to  adding  to  the  adjacent  farms,  ten  cents 
per  acre  for  every  mile  of  distance  that  such  commodities  are  moved  on  rail,  in¬ 
stead  of  the  common  road.  If  the  farmer,  before  a  railroad  was  built,  had  been 
obliged  to  convey  his  products  one  hundred  miles  over  a  common  road,  the  build¬ 
ing  of  a  railroad,  for  this  distance,  would  be  equivalent  to  increasing  the  value  of 
his  farm  ten  dollars  an  acre.  These  railroads  have  already  produced  an  important 
effect,  in  equalizing,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  summer  and  winter  prices  of  agricul¬ 
tural  products  on  the  Atlantic,  and  of  merchandise  and  manufactured  articles  in 
the  interior. 

“  The  crops  of  the  country  are  harvested  so  late,  that  a  large  portion  of  them 
cannot  be  sent  to  market  until  the  following  season,  in  consequence  of  the  water 
lines  being  then  either  thronged  with  business,  or  closed  by  ice.  The  railroads 
afford  a  constant  communication  for  the  whole  year,  and  by  means  of  their  rapid 
transport,  enable  the  producer  to  avail  himself  of  the  advanced  prices,  which  fre¬ 
quently  take  place  after  the  water  lines  are  closed.  These  are  additional  reasons 
for  believing  that  the  main  trunk  lines  will  he  hereafter  occupied  to  their  full  ca¬ 
pacity,  and  at  remunerative  prices.”  pp.  18-22. 

Mr.  Clapp  remarked  that  the  cost  of  the  Erie  Railroad  in  1852  was  $27,551,205, 
and  in  1853  it  was  $31,222,834. 

The  cost  of  the  Central  Road  also  in  1852,  was  $27,810,787,  and  1  have  reason 
to  believe  the  increase  is  equal  to  that  of  the  Erie,  which  would  make  the  cost  of 
the  two  upwards  of  $52,000,000. 

While  the  committee  were  in  New  York,  some  facts  were  stated  regarding  a 
long  tunnel  in  Spain ,  and  as  but  a  portion  of  the  committee  were  present,  it  may 
y  be  well  to  state  them  here. 

The  tunnel  is  through  the  Pyrenees,  and  is  to  be  eight  miles  long.  It  is  on  a 
road  now  building  80  miles  from  Madrid.  The  parties  concerned  have  made 


36 


application  to  C.  T.  Sheljon,  Esq.,  for  his  machine,  and  offer  to  pay  him,  among 
other  conditions,  one-quarter  of  the  net  profits  above  what  is  saved  by  the  old 
method  of  hand  labor. 

Another  account  was  furnished  of  a  tunnel  through  the  Alps,  as  follows :  — 

“On  the  15th  of  October  last,  the  Council  of  the  Canton  of  Ticino  voted,  by  a 
majority  of  90  to  11,  the  concession  of  the  projected  railroad  through  the  Alps, 
from  Lake  Maggiore  to  Lake  Constance,  to  unite  the  Piedmontese  line  with  ihat 
of  Central  Germany.  The  concession  is  granted  to  Mr.  John  Gurney,  Mr.  John 
Brett,  and  M.  Curti,  acting  on  behalf  of  Messrs.  Masterman,  Sadleir,  Laing  & 
Co.,  of  London.  This  railroad  will  have  a  tunnel  25,000  metres,  or  16  miles 
English,  and  will  be  lighted  and  ventilated  by  50  shafts.” 

The  counsel  then  presented  the  following  letter  from  an  extensive  and  well 
known  Hour  dealer  of  Rochester,  which  was  read  to  the  committee. 

Honorable  E.  H.  Derby,  Boston,  Mass. 

Dear  Sir,. —  Your  favor  of  the  26th  inst.  was  received  yesterday.  The  recent 
changes  of  our  State  officers  who  form  our  Canal  Board  —  together  with  the  very 
strong  Whig  majorities  in  both  branches  of  our  Legislature,  are  sure  guarantees 
for  the  enlargement  of  the  Erie,  and  the  finishing  of  the  Black  River  and  Gene¬ 
see  Valley,  and  the  final  improvement  of  the  Oswego  Canals,  in  the  shortest 
practicable  time  ;  all  will  be  finished  in  three  years,  perhaps  less  time.  Our  locks 
were  all  enlarged  last  autumn  ;  boats  carrying  lfoO  barrels  flour,  drawing  but  three 
and  a  half  feet  water  navigated  it  from  Buffalo  to  Albany.  When  finished,  barges 
carrying  2,500  barrels  flour  will  be  used  upon  it,  towed  in  fleets  of  six  or  more 
by  steam  tugs.  Careful  investigations  show  that  the  transportation  of  flour  can  be 
done  for  12}  cents  per  barrel  over  canal  tolls,  (this  is  now  24  cents  per  barrel, 
but  the  lapse  of  a  few  years  will  reduce  it  to  ten  cents,)  and  all  other  articles  of 
produce  in  proportion.  It  is  also  certain ,  that  all  tolls  on  the  productions  of  the 
soil  of  this  State  will  be  forever  abolished.  You  have  doubtless  before  you  the 
annual  exhibits  of  property  reaching  tide-water  through  our  canals.  Of  late 
years  the  increase  has  not  been  as  rapid  as  in  the  first  28  years  of  its  use,  which 
is  accounted  for  by  the  competition  of  the  N.  Y.  and  Erie,  and  the  Ogdensburgh 
Railroads,  and  by  the  high  rates  of  freight  in  autumn  on  the  canal  where  the 
capacity  of  it  has  been  attained.  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  its  business  will 
hereafter  increase  to  much  extent,  till  the  enlargement  is  completed  and  new 
applications  adapted  to  its  capacity  are  in  general  use,  with  steam  as  a  propelling 
power.  These  will  be  introduced  within  two  years  after  completion  of  the 
enlargement,  ample  to  meet  all  exigencies.  From  that  period  you  may  rely  with 
entire  confidence  on  the  annual  increase  of  produce  descending  our  canals,  ex¬ 
ceeding  by  far  any  former  ratio  of  increase.  The  cheapness  of  this  transporta¬ 
tion  will  tend  to  stimulate  production  throughout  the  entire  West,  and  enlarge  the 
circle  from  which  produce  will  be  drawn.  The  cotton  of  Tennessee,  the  tobacco 
and  pork  of  Kentucky  will  seek  the  sea-board  by  this  route.  Indian  corn  now 
oultivated  in  the  Western  States  to  be  harvested  by  hogs  will  seek  this  avenue 
for  exportation  to  the  British  Islands,  not  for  their  population,  but  to  feed  their 
slock.  The  power  of  production  of  this  article  is  without  limit,  as  will  also  be  the 
market  when  we  can  lay  it  down  in  our  seaports  a  cheap  article.  It  should  not 
be  forgotten  that  the  improvements  now  going  forward  in  agriculture  give  good 
promise  of  increasing  our  productions  from  the  same  land  at  least  50  per  cent, 
in  a  very  few  years.  There  is  a  principle  connected  with  the  movements  of  pro¬ 
duce  which  has  long  been  demonstrated,  but  is  not  duly  apprecia'ed  by  all. 
Whatever  route  by  which  produce  seeks  a/market,  the  travel  follows  in  its  wake , 
and  manufactured  goods  will  seek  it  in  pursuit  of  their  customers .  The  State  of 
Massachusetts  can  draw  to  its  interior  and  its  seaports  jus l  -j  much  this  im¬ 
mense  volume  of  produce  as  they  see  ft  to  provide  facilities  for  transportation. 


37 


That  it  will  increase  far  beyond  the  power  of  the  State  and  its  inhabitants  to  lay 

f  down  tracts  to  move  it,  is  certain.  As  the  State  may  multiply  roads  connecting 
with  the  eastern  terminus  of  our  canal,  just  so  fast  will  they  be  filled  up  with  pro- 

*  duce  ;  especially  will  this  prove  true  in  case  the  principle  of  low  freights  be  estab¬ 
lished.  Last  autumn  and  one  year  ago,  your  Western  Road,  your  Rutland  Road, 

t  and  your  Ogdensburg  Road,  were  blocked  up  for  months  with  property  they 

could  not  transport,  nor  even  provide  storage  therefor.  Interested  parties  may 
deny  this,  but  the  facts  can  be  substantiated  by  hundreds  of  witnesses.  Had  the 
contemplated  road  been  finished  last  September  to  Troy,  it  would  have  had  as 
much  produce  as  it  could  transport  during  October,  November  and  December, 
and  this  without  interfering  with  the  business  of  the  Western  Road. 

The  State  of  Massachusetts  owes  it  to  her  high  standing  in  the  Union  —  to  her 
sister  States  —  and  to  the  best  interests  of  all  her  citizens  —  to  put  forth  the 
strength  of  her  right  arm  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  great  work  of  another 
and  better  avenue  to  connect  her  seaports  with  the  eastern  terminus  of  our  mighty 
artificial  river.  In  the  West  we  need  your  manufactured  goods,  which  you  can 
make  cheaper  than  we  can  ;  we  want  your  fish,  which  are  the  best  the  ocean 
produces.  You  want —  (what  we  can  give  you  cheaper  than  you  can  raise  your¬ 
selves)  —  our  flour,  corn,  oats,  pork,  lard,  butter,  cheese,  poultry,  wool,  &c.  &c. 
All  we  need,  all  we  ask  of  you,  is  to  do  east  of  the  Hudson,  what  we  have  done 
and  are  doing  west  of  it  —  provide  the  avenues  by  which  these  interchanges  can  b& 
effected.  Do  this,  and  as  surely  as  water  runs  down  hill,  so  surely  will  this  trade 
increase,  and  enrich  you  and  the  Western  States.  In  my  best  judgment,  if  the 
State  of  Massachusetts  should  incur  the  entire  expense  of  tunelling  the  Hoosac 
Mountain,  the  lapse  of  ten  years  would  see  the  State  enriched  more  than  double 
its  cost.  It  will  be  an  everlasting  disgrace  to  that  noble  State  if  in  this  hour  of 
need  it  withholds  its  aid.  As  a  native  of  that  State  I  will  not  indulge  the  idea  for 
one  moment,  that  it  can  be  so  blind  to  its  true  interests  as  to  withhold  that  which 
is  so  important  to  the  best  interests  of  its  citizens. 

I  am,  dear  Sir,  very  respectfully,  yours,  H.  ELY. 

Rochester,  ISew  York,  February  1,  1854. 

The  Annual  Report  of  the  Troy  and  Boston  Railroad  for  1853,  was  then  in¬ 
troduced,  to  show  that  twenty-seven  miles  of  the  first  section  of  the  route  has 
earned  seven  per  cent,  on  its  cost  merely  as  a  local  road.  Mr.  Derby  said  this 
was  the  most  expensive  portion  of  the  line,  with  heavy  embankments,  and  . a  deep 
cut  upon  it.  The  Report  of  the  Philadelphia  and  Reading  Railroad  Co.  for  De¬ 
cember,  1853,  was  also  introduced,  to  show  the  cost  of  transporting  coal  95  miles' 
from  Pottsville  to  Philadelphia  was  53  cents  per  mile. 

Mr.  Derby  also  presented  a  copy  of  Colton’s  Railroad  Map,  explaining  the  dif¬ 
ferent  lines  of  road  diverging  from  the  Greenfield  route  to  Boston,  so  that  it  would 
be  almost  as  easy  and  direct  to  run  cars  to  Lowell,  Salem,  and  Newburyport,  and 
other  places  in  the  north-eastern  parts,  and  in  fact  the  whole  eastern  part  of  the 
State,  as  to  Boston  itself.  This  was  not  the  case  with  the  Western  road,  as  the 
lines  connecting  with  it  generally  branch  off  nearly  at  a  right  angle. 

Mr.  Derby  said,  with  the  exception  of  a  single  witness,  this  would  conclude  the 
evidence  for  the  petitioners  in  the  case.  He  had  notified  Mr.  Abner  Pierce,  an 
extensive  pork  and  produce  dealer  in  Boston,  to  be  present  this  afternoon,  but  ass 

*  he  had  not  yet  appeared,  it  might  be  as  well  to  proceed  to  the  summing-up  of  the 
case  without  him.  This  gentleman  was  expected  to  speak  particularly  of  the  i»- 
terruption  of  the  ferry  at  Greenbush,  and  of  the  losses  and  diminution  of  value 
that  freight  undergoes  in  consequence  of  this  break  at  Albany.  Should  the  wit* 

*  ness  appear  before  the  termination  of  the  hearing,  his  testimony,  by  permission, 
of  the  committee,  might  then  be  taken. 

4 


38 


ARGUMENT  OF  MR.  KEITH. 

The  following  is  a  brief  summary  of  Mr.  Keith’s  argument:  — 

He  congratulated  the  committee  upon  the  brief  space  occupied  in  the  hearing 
compared  with  former  years.  They  had  presented  the  published  evidence  and 
arguments  of  last  year,  for  and  against  the  reports  of  former  committees,  and 
had  produced  new  additional  testimony.  The  committee  had  besides  had  an 
opportunity  to  witness  the  operations  of  a  tunnelling  machine,  unattended  and 
uninfluenced  by  counsel.  The  counsel  and  friends  of  the  petitioners  had  been 
content  to  try  the  case  openly  before  the  committee :  yet  they  had  not  escaped 
imputations  of  resorting  to  improper  appliances  and  undue  influences. 

He  contrasted  the  course  pursued  by  the  friends  of  the  Western  Railroad  when 
seeking  State  aid.  In  1839,  after  having  received  State  aid  to  the  amount  of 
$3,100,000  in  former  years,  they  applied  for  a  further  loan  of  $  1,500,000,  and 
at  a  public  meeting  held  in  Faneuil  llall  a  committee  of  forty-seven  was  appoint¬ 
ed  u  to  aid  the  directors  in  their  application.”  Again  in  1841,  when  applying  for 
a  further  loan  at  a  similar  meeting,  a  committee  of  sixty-five  was  appointed  to 
aid  the  directors,  making  with  the  directors  a  body  of  seventy-two  men  actively 
employed  in  urging  the  loan  upon  the  legislature  !  !  Yet  these  are  the  men,  who 
accuse  the  friends  of  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  Road,  prosecuting  their  petition 
single-handed  before  the  committee,  of  undue  influences. 

The  result  of  the  hearing  before  the  Joint  Standing  Committee  in  1851,  had 
been  an  unanimous  report  in  favor  of  the  loan.  The  bill  that  year  passed  the 
Senate  by  a  very  large  majority,  but  was  lost  in  the  House.  In  1853,  a  joint 
special  committee  of  seventeen,  originally  adverse  to  the  project,  after  a  laborious 
investigation,  had  reported  in  favor  with  only  two  dissenting  voices. 

He  traced  the  policy  of  the  State  in  regard  to  railroad  enterprises  at  different 
periods.  At  first  a  liberal  spirit  prevailed  ;  the  State  was  the  pioneer  in  these 
projects.  Afterwards  when  the  main  trunk  roads  had  been  established,  the  men 
interested  in  them  became  the  strong  opponents  to  similar  new  projects,  and  an 
ultra  conservative  spirit  ruled  for  a  time.  Of  late,  a  more  liberal  and  progres¬ 
sive  spirit  has  prevailed,  and  it  is  considered  the  right  of  the  people  to  have  a 
charter  wherever  it  is  necessary  for  their  convenience  and  the  development  of  the 
resources  of  the  country. 

He  enumerated  the  railroads  aided  by  State  aid  at  different  periods  as  fol¬ 
lows  :  — 


1836, 

Western  Railroad, 

$1,000,000 

1837, 

Andover  and  Haverhill,  . 

,  100,000 

U 

Eastern, 

500,000 

(t 

Norwich  and  Worcester, 

400,000 

1838, 

Western, 

2,100,000 

it 

Eastern, 

90,000 

u 

Nashua, 

50,000 

1839, 

Western, 

1,200,000 

1841, 

Western, 

700,000 

U 

Boston  and  Portland, 

50,000 

Total, 

$6,190,000 

He  stated,  that  among  the  advantages  to  be  derived  by  the  completion  of  the 
tunnel,  was  the  development  of  the  resources  of  the  northern  section  of  the  State, 
now  without  railroad  accommodation  —  the  opening  of  a  highway  to,  and  a  union 
with,  the  boundless  West  —  shortening  the  distance  by  more  than  twenty  miles, 
cutting  down  the  grades  one  half,  and  avoiding  seven  circles  of  curvature  as 
compared  with  the  Western  road. 

These  advantages  would  enable  them  to  transport  freight  in  large  quantities, 
i.nd  at  diminished  rates. 


c9 

To  show  the  effect  of  low  fares  on  the  transmission  of  freight,  he  referred  to 
the  Report  of  the  Ogdensburg  Railroad  for  1853,  and  read  a  statement  of  the 
receipts  of  that  road  in  corresponding  months  in  1852  and  1853,  as  follows :  — 


January, 

February, 

March, 

April, 

May, 


1852. 

817,578.53 

12,942.37 

14,631.60 

23,974.74 

57,196.85 


1853. 

828,821.20 

24,952.45 

22,680.21 

38,112.94 

45,012.22 


It  will  be  observed  that  the  receipts  in  1853  are  more  than  50  per  cent,  greater 
than  in  1852,  up  to  May  ;  and  had  the  receipts  of  that  month  continued  to  increase 
in  the  same  ratio,  the  receipts  for  May,  1853,  would  have  been  more  than, 
885,000,  instead  of  845,012.22,  the  actual  receipts.  The  directors  state  the  rea¬ 
son  of  this  change  in  the  receipts  as  follows:  — 

“  The  regular  and  rapid  increase  in  the  income  of  the  road  was  first  checked  in 
May,  of  the  present  year.  This  check  was  occasioned  principally  by  the  increased 
rates  adopted  for  the  transportation  of  western  freights  towards  Boston,  which  were 
too  high  to  admit  of  the  freight  taking  this  route.  These  rates  were  acceded  to  by 
us,  at  the  urgent  desire  of  the  lower  roads  ;  but  on  testing  their  effects,  they  have 
been  modified,  and  for  flour,  the  ruling  rate  of  last  year  has  been  within  a  few 
days  restored.1’ 

The  objections  to  the  tunnel  project  are,  first,  that  it  is  not  feasible.  This 
objection  is  only  urged  by  those  who  have  no  knowledge  on  the  subject.  All 
engineers  agree  in  its  feasibility.  The  hundreds  of  miles  of  tunnels  in  Europe,  and 
the  scores  of  miles  of  tunnels  in  this  country,  demonstrate  the  fact  that  there  is  no 
insurmountable  obstacle  in  the  way  of  perforating  the  mountain.  The  way  to  do 
the  work  is  well  understood  by  scientific  men,  and  the  means  only  are  wanting  to 
secure  its  accomplishment. 

But  it  is  said,  in  the  second  place,  that  it  will  injure  the  Western  Railroad  by  its 
competition  for  through  freight.  Any  one  who  has  this  impression  must  be  dis¬ 
abused  of  it  by  a  glance  at  the  through  freight  business  of  that  road  since  1847,  as 
follows  : — 


Number  of  tons  transported  through  from  Albany  to  Boston, 


1847, 

88,438  tons. 

1848, 

63,667  “ 

1849, 

58,217  “ 

1850, 

60,900  “ 

1851, 

47,057  “ 

1852, 

44,386  “ 

1853, 

59,018  “ 

Thus  it  appears,  there  has  been  a  constant  diminution  in  their  through  business 
since  1847,  without  the  competition  of  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  road,  although,  in 
the  mean  time,  the  number  of  tons  of  freight  reaching  the  Hudson  from  the  West 
has  increased  annually  from  400,000  to  600,000  tons ;  and  statistics  show  that  the 
total  freight  arriving  at  the  Hudson  the  past  year  was  4,000,000  tons. 

These  facts  demonstrate  the  utter  incompetency  of  the  Western  road  to  meet 
the  wants  of  the  freighting  business.  But  though  the  through  business  of  the 
Western  road  has  been  of  little  value  to  them,  such  has  been  the  increase  of 
local  business,  that  their  gross  receipts  augment  largely  every  year,  as  appears  by 
the  following  table  taken  from  their  report  of  1853 :  — 

“  The  gross  receipts  of  the  year,  on  the  main  line,  as  compared  with  the 
receipts  of  1852,  will  stand  thus  :  — 


40 


Years. 

1852 

1853 

Passengers. 

$615,481 

693,290 

Freight. 

$685,062 

786,215 

Other  sources. 

$39,229 

45,718 

Total. 

$1,339,873 

1,525,223 

Increase, 

$77,809 

$101,153 

$5,389 

$185,350.” 

He  cited  another  passage 
condition  :  — 

from  the  same  report, 

to  show  further  their  prosperous 

“  In  conclusion,  the  directors  think  the  stockholders  should  be  satisfied  with  the 
present  condition  of  their  property,  and  with  the  general  results  of  the  work  of 
the  past  year.  Seven  per  cent,  in  dividends  on  the  capital  stock  has  been  paid  ; 
one  per  cent,  on  the  capital  has  been  paid  into  the  two  sinking  funds;  $51,476, 
constituting  the  surplus  earnings  of  the  year,  has  been  carried  to  the  contingent 
fund  ;  and  the  corporation  has  no  floating  debt. 

44  The  two  sinking  funds  amounted,  on  the  30th  November,  1853,  to  $1,247,837, 
and  the  contingent  fund,  on  the  same  day,  to  $188,889;  together,  to  the  sum  of 
$1,436,726,  or  to  $27.90  on  each  share  of  stock.” 

It  is  evident  therefore,  said  he,  that  the  construction  of  the  tunnel  cannot  injure 
the  Western  road,  and  the  increase  of  their  sinking  fund  will  meet  their  liability  to 
the  State  by  the  time  their  indebtedness  matures. 

What  obstacle,  then,  is  there  in  the  way  of  the  loan  sought  ?  The  past  policy 
of  the  State  favors  it  —  the  prosperity  resulting  from  such  policy  sanctions  it  — 
the  present  and  prospective  growth  of  the  State  require  it  —  the  public  voice,  in 
view  of  the  mighty  tide  of  untold  wealth  constantly  pouring  in  from  the  exhaust¬ 
less  West,  demand  it  —  and  Massachusetts  will  not  be  true  to  the  spirit  of  the  age,, 
nor  to  her  past  history,  until  it  is  generously  accorded. 

E.  H.  Derby,  Esq.,  then  submitted  the  closing  argument  for  the  petitioners, 
principally  enforcing  the  arguments  of  the  former  hearings,  but  bringing  up  a 
number  of  new  points  not  then  touched  upon.  He  referred  to  the  origination  of 
the  idea  of  tunnelling  Hoosac  Mountain  some  twenty-seven  years  ago,  by 
Loammi  Baldwin  and  Gen.  Dearborn,  and  to  the  fact  that  the  plans  and  estimates 
of  those  distinguished  engineers  met  with  the  approval  of  the  celebrated  Gen. 
Bernard,  who  had  formerly  been  an  engineer  in  the  service  of  Napoleon  the 
"Great.  He  also  mentioned  the  fact  that  Messrs.  Baldwin  and  Dearborn  went  to 
their  graves  with  a  firm  belief  that  this  tunnel  was  destined  ultimately  to  be  built. 

He  then  gave  a  brief  history  of  the  progress  of  the  various  sections  of  the  great 
line  to  the  West,  of  which  the  tunnel  road  is  to  form  the  connecting  link,  and 
urged  the  increasing  importance  and  extent  of  the  trade  which  the  road  will  secure 
to  the  State  of  Massachusetts.  He  congratulated  the  committee  on  the  fact  that 
they  were  so  impartially  selected,  representing  all  portions  of  the  State.  He  felt 
that  this  year  at  least  the  petitioners  had  no  right  to  complain  of  the  appointment 
of  the  committee  ;  and  in  presenting  a  case  which  would  redound  to  the  honor,  and 
promote  the  prosperity  of  the  whole  Commonwealth,  to  this  committee,  he  felt  as 
though  he  were  presenting  it  to  the  State  itself. 

He  alluded,  as  a  preliminary  consideration,  to  the  change  of  policy  which  had 
taken  place  in  our  government  in  regard  to  foreign  commerce,  and  showed  its 
effects  upon  our  own  State.  A  more  liberal  course  towards  foreign  countries  than 
formerly,  was  being  pursued.  The  granaries  of  Europe  were  being  thrown  open 
to  our  produce,  and  this  courtesy  our  own  country  was  reciprocating  by  removing 
to  some  extent  the  restrictions  on  foreign  manufactures.  The  influence  of  this 
change  had  placed  Massachusetts  in  a  transition  State.  She  had  formerly  been  a 
navigating  and  commercial  State,  then  a  manufacturing  State,  and  now  the  ten¬ 
dency  is  to  return  to  her  former  condition  as  a  navigating  and  commercial  State. 
But  Massachusetts  had  ever  held  herself  in  readiness  to  meet  all  these  emergen¬ 
cies,  and  in  whatever  enterprises  she  might  engage  she  would  continue  to  win  to 
herself  honor  and  prosperity  as  she  had  ever  done  before. 


41 


He  then  proceeded  to  examine  the  question  under  two  aspects :  —  First,  the  ques¬ 
tion  of  construction  —  the  practicability  and  cost  of  the  proposed  tunnel,  and  the 
time  required  to  make  it.  Second,  the  question  of  utility,  or  the  commercial 
question  —  What  important  commercial  advantages  it  will  secure,  and  how  far  it 
will  make  a  return  to  the  State  ?  These,  he  said,  were  the  important  questions  to 
be  considered  by  the  committee,  and  he  proceeded  at  some  length  to  elaborate  his 
views  upon  these  topics,  and  urge  them  upon  the  attention  of  the  committee. 

Mr.  Derby  then  explained  the  provisions  of  the  bill  for  which  the  petitioners  ask, 
showing  that  ample  security  would  be  given  to  the  State,  as  the  different  portions 
of  the  loan,  and  the  sections  of  the  road  and  of  the  tunnel  were  to  be  advanced 
together.  Before  the  State  will  have  advanced  $800,000,  the  company  will  have 
furnished  security  to  cover  a  million,  and  the  tunnel  would  be  reduced  to  three 
miles ;  and  as  further  security  as  they  continued  to  advance,  the  whole  road  and 
tunnel  were  to  be  mortgaged.  They  had  the  precedent  of  the  Western  road  for 
asking  their  loan  in  advance,  but  they  did  not  ask  it.  They  would  not  attempt  to 
say  to  the  State,  “  You  have  put  your  foot  in  it,  and  now  you  must  pay  more  or 
lose  what  you  have  already  invested ;  ”  they  were  willing  to  pay  as  they  went, 
and  to  give  security  in  advance. 

He  expressed  regret  at  the  absence  of  the  Western  road  during  this  hearing, 
but  considered  that  they  were  present  in  fact  by  their  arguments  and  evidence  of 
last  year.  He  then  replied  to  some  of  the  objections  formerly  made  by  the 
Western  road.  The  Troy  and  Greenfield  road  could  not  be  considered  a  com¬ 
peting  line  in  regard  to  local  business,  since  it  nowhere  ran  within  20  miles  of  the 
Western  road,  while  in  some  sections  of  the  State  roads  are  built  running  within 
three  miles  of  each  other;  nor  in  regard  to  through  traffic,  since  the  Western  line 
is  already  losing  its  through  business,  and  relies  upon  the  local  trade,  for  its  large 
income  does  not  command  a  sixtieth  part  of  the  business  from  the  West.  He 
would  submit  then  that  the  Western  road  would  be  safe,  and  that  the  State  would 
be  fully  secured  from  all  loss.  From  the  absence  of  the  Western  road,  he  was 
warranted  in  one  of  two  conclusions :  either  that  they  considered  the  case  of  the 
petitioners  such  as  would  do  them  no  injury,  or  that  it  was  so  good  that  opposition 
would  be  unavailing,  and  a  useless  expense.  He  would  not  attribute  to  them  here 
a  secret  newspaper  opposition. 

The  action  and  discussions  in  the  Legislature  last  year  and  in  the  late  Conven¬ 
tion,  together  with  the  late  course  of  political  action  in  the  Commonwealth,  he 
contended,  showed  that  this  measure  was  demanded  by  the  popular  voice.  This 
Legislature  had  come  up  fresh  from  the  people,  and  from  some  counties  almost 
instructed  to  vote  for  this  measure,  and  he  came  now  to  ask  that  this  great  boon 
may  be  conferred,  not  only  upon  these  petitioners,  not  only  upon  some  particular 
sections,  but  upon  the  whole  Commonwealth,  even  to  Nantucket  and  the  sandy  shores 
of  the  Cape. 

Were  he  a  member  of  this  Legislature,  he  should  feel  that,  in  contributing 
towards  the  removal  of  these  physical  impediments,  he  was  taking  away  the 
restrictions  upon  the  native  energies  and  commercial  prosperity  of  the  State,  and 
would  be  ready  to  exclaim  with  the  poet  of  old,  “  I  have  raised  a  monument  more 
durable  than  brass.” 

The  report  of  the  Railroad  Committee  of  1851  was  then  put  into  the  case,  after 
which  the  committee  adjourned. 


42 


NOTE  TO  MR.  CLAPP’S  TESTIMONY. 

The  following  was  accidentally  omitted  in  its  proper  place. 

In  a  recent  interview  with  M.  Newell,  Esq.,  Engineer,  formerly  of  this  State, 
but  now  superintending  the  building  of  one  or  more  tunnels  in  Kentucky,  he  in¬ 
formed  me  that  a  tunnel  is  now  constructing  on  the  Louisville  and  Knoxville  Rail¬ 
road,  1000  feet  long,  and  14  feet  wide,  under  a  contract  at  $2.50  per  cubic  yard. 

A  tunnel  on  the  Lexington  and  Frankfort  Railroad  has  been  finished,  550  feet 
long,  through  hard  limestone,  11  feet  wide,  at  $1.67J  per  cubic  yard.  The  reason 
this  was  taken  so  low  was  that  there  was  a  great  deal  of  competition,  and  the 
person  who  obtained  the  contract  was  determined  to  have  it.  He  paid  his  way, 
even  at  this  price,  in  everything  except  his  own  time. 

There  is  a  tunnel  now  constructing  on  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  Railroad 
1700  feet  long,  and  16  feet  wide,  the  contract  price  of  which  is  $3.50  per  cubic 
yard.  The  reason  for  the  price  being  so  high,  is  because  it  is  on  a  70  feet  grade, 
is  quite  wet,  and  will  cost  a  good  deal  to  pump  out  the  water. 

There  are  3  tunnels  on  the  Lexington  and  Covington  Railroad. 

An  engineer  who  resides  in  Cincinnati,  informed  me  that  he  had  been  into  a 
tunnel  ten  miles  long  in  the  hills  of  Devonshire,  England,  made  for  the  purpose 
of  obtaining  limestone  to  be  used  in  the  manufacture  of  iron.  The  stone  is  trans¬ 
ported  in  canal  boats. 


s 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Argument,  Abstract  of,  J.  M.  Keith,  Esq’s.  38 
“  “  E.  H.  Derby,  Esq’s.  40 


Baldwin,  Loammi,  opinion  of  .7 

Breakwater  at  Cherbourg,  France,  .  17 

u  Portsmouth,  Eng.  .  .  17 

Committee,  Names  of  the  .  .  2 

Canal,  Grand  Ship,  of  North  Holland  .  16 

“  St.  Quentin  ...  17 

“  Marseilles  .  .  .  .17 

Derby’s,  Mr.,  opening  ...  3 

Drainage  Gallery  miles  long  .  .  14 

(t  by  Pumps  ...  20 

Docks  ....  33, 34 

Equipment  of  Railroads,  compared  .  25 

Erie  Railroad  Report,  Extracts  from  .  34 

“  “  Cost  of  .  .  .  35 

Letter  from  H.  Ely,  Rochester,  N.  Y.  .  36 

Lake  and  River  Commerce,  value,  compared  25 
Lakes,  Extent  of  the  .  .  .26 

Increase  of  Tonnage  on  the  .  25 


Mines  ...  13,  14,  15,  20 

Persons  employed  under-ground  .  20 

Revenue,  Tonnage,  &c.  on  N.  Y.  Canals  .  34 

Receipts  on  3  Lines  N.  Y.  Railroads  .  34 

Stelvio  Pass  over  the  Alps  .  .  .12 

Shafts  .  .  .  .13,  14,  15,  20 

Testimony  of  Alvah  Crocker  .  .  5 


Testimony  of  President  Hitchcock  .  8 

“  Andrew  Ellison,  Jr.  .  .  11 

“  Jno.  A.  Carpenter  .  12 

“  Edwin  Faxon .  .  .12 

“  Otis  Clapp  .  13,  24,  28,  33 

“  Shadrach  Robinson  .  .  20 

“  George  Millard  .  .  22 

“  James  Hayward  .  .  27 

“  James  E.  Bartlett  .  28 

Tunnels  in  Virginia  .  .  -.11 

Tunnel  24  miles  long,  in  Saxony  .  14 

Tunnels  .  .  .  .14,  15,  16 

“  on  Yerviers  Railway  .  .  ]6 

“  on  Railroad  over  Semmering  Pass  .  .  15 
“  in  Salt  Mines  ...  15 

“  on  Marseilles  Canal  .  .17 

“  on  St.  Quentin  ...  17 

“  in  France  .  .  .  .16 

*•  at  Cincinnati  .  .  .28-33 

“  in  Spain  .  .  .  .35 

11  at  Ticino  ...  35 

Viaducts  in  England  .  .  .19 

Ventilation  of  Tunnel  ...  19 

Value  of  Lake  Commerce  .  .  .26 

“  “  Property  sent  to  the  Interior  .  26 

Welland  Canal,  Tonnage  of  .  .26 


3  0112  105220716 


